Nyck de Vries option as a substitute in the longer absence Daniel Ricciardo | Motorsport

sport">Ricciardo, who tested positive on Friday, will be in isolation until Thursday. If he fails to submit a negative test on that day, he may miss next week’s opening race, which, like the closing days of testing, will take place in Bahrain.

sport">De Vries and Vandoorne are both under contract with Mercedes, and form the driver duo of the racing stable in Formula E, which cooperates with McLaren in the motor area.

sport">Sign up for the Formula 1 newsletter and don’t miss out on all the news about Max Verstappen next season.

sport">De Vries, who was crowned world champion in the electric racing class last year, would be present in Bahrain next week anyway, as he had already been designated by Mercedes as a reserve.

sport">Vandoorne will participate in the 12 Hours of Sebring next weekend on behalf of Meyer Shank Racing, but that can of course always be reversed. McLaren is also familiar with the Belgian, who already raced for the team in Formula 1 in 2017 and 2018.

sport">Ricciardo has not been able to test for a day in Bahrain because of his corona infection. As a result, teammate Lando Norris had to do the honors three days in a row on the Sakhir circuit. Wednesday evening Ricciardo was present. During the drivers’ joint statement against the war in Ukraine, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Max Verstappen. Thursday morning he will stay in his hotel due to complaints. Other drivers have not (yet) tested positive.

sport">Reigning Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri could also temporarily replace Ricciardo. Alpine has ‘released’ its reserve driver so that the talented Australian (20) can gain experience in the premier class if the opportunity arises.

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