Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn says Pascal Wehrlein is working “flat out” on his fitness after sitting out the Chinese Grand Prix.
Wehrlein sustained a back injury after crashing at the Race of Champions and did not compete at the first F1 pre-season test, but returned for the second group running.
He was all set to race in the season-opener in Australia but pulled out ahead of Saturday’s running, being replaced by Ferrari reserve Antonio Giovinazzi.
The German racer cited his lack of fitness and disrupted pre-season training as the cause, not feeling ready to complete a race distance in the more physical 2017 cars.
Wehrlein has also been replaced by Giovinazzi for China while he builds his fitness back up and Kaltenborn emphasised the fact he remains Sauber’s second driver and is working flat out on his return.
“Well, from a medical perspective he was declared fine to race, already at the tests,” she said in Friday’s team principal’s press conference.
“The rest is a question of his fitness to the extent that he wants to be able to deliver 100% during the entire race.
“We’ve heard also now in between from doctors and all that, it is very challenging for the drivers. We heard that from the drivers themselves.
“He’s working flat out on his fitness. It is very difficult to say [when he will return], because the body is not that logical or analytical in its development, on what day it’s going to be there.
“But his target and our target is to have him as soon as possible in the car, ideally at the next race, but if not, it will the next one. But it is clear that he is our second driver and that’s not going to change.”
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