Big blow for Daniel Ricciardo as axed star shocks F1 on return

Daniel Ricciardo is racing to recover from Covid before the season stars as F1’s prodigal son shocked the paddock during testing in Bahrain.

Daniel Ricciardo is racing the clock to be healthy for the first race. (Photo by Antonin Vincent / POOL / AFP)

Daniel Ricciardo was absent from F1 pre-season testing for the second day running as McLaren confirmed the Aussie had tested positive for Covid-19.

But the team expects him to be well enough to race in the season opener in Bahrain on March 20.

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“McLaren Racing can confirm that after feeling unwell from Wednesday onwards in Bahrain, Daniel Ricciardo has now returned a positive PCR test for Covid-19,” McLaren said in a statement.

“Daniel is therefore continuing to isolate in accordance with local regulations. Under these regulations Daniel will be released in time for next weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

“Daniel is already beginning to feel better, and we wish him well for a quick recovery.”

Taking to Twitter on Saturday morning, Ricciardo added: “Better this week than next …

“Unfortunate to miss the test, but I’m starting to feel better. I’ll stay isolated and just focus on next weekend.

“Big thanks to Lando & McLaren for the heavy lifting, I owe you some beers (milk for Lando).

“Appreciate the well wishes from everyone.”

Daniel Ricciardo is hoping to recover in time for the first race of the year. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Kevin Magnussen said it felt like “I hadn’t been away” after making an eye-catching return to F1 when he topped the times in pre-season testing, just 48 hours after replacing Nikita Mazepin at Haas.

Magnussen, dropped by Haas last season, signed a multi-year contract to take over from the Russian driver who was sacked following his country’s invasion of Ukraine.

And the 29-year-old Dane showed no signs of rust on his first day in an F1 car in over a year as he set the fastest lap of 1min 33.207sec in the more favourable, cooler conditions of early evening at the Sakhir circuit.

As the other teams were bedding their cars down for the night with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz setting the quickest time, Haas were allowed an extra hour due to freight delays, which saw them miss Friday’s first session.

“It was so good to be back in a Formula 1 car and so good to be back with the team,” said Magnussen.

His late show triggered a Twitter dig from Swedish driver Marcus Ericsson, who races now in Indy Cars but spent four seasons in F1 with Caterham and Sauber from 2014-2019.

“A month ago Kmag tested @IndyCar at Sebring and was slowest. Now first day back in F1 and he’s fastest. Must mean @IndyCar is a lot harder and more competitive then @F1. Clearly settles that discussion once and for all,” Ericsson posted.

Before Magnussen struck it was Sainz for Ferrari who had cut a dash on the second day of testing with Red Bull’s world champion Max Verstappen leading the chasing pack almost half a second slower.

Lance Stroll for Aston Martin came next ahead of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel of the Mercedes, whose radical “no sidepods” design has been the talk of the paddock.

Can McLaren challenge the big dogs in 2022? (Photo by LLUIS GENE / AFP)

Hamilton’s new teammate George Russell, meanwhile, suggested Ferrari were looking “globally the strongest” team.

But Sainz for one wasn’t totally convinced about the British driver’s take on the timings.

“I think it’s typical Mercedes, typical George, just hype the others and then come to the first race and blow the competition away,” the Spaniard said.

“If it would be the first year they have done it, I would maybe believe them but they have done it for five-six years now and they keep surprising us in the first race so, as you can imagine, I don’t believe much.”

He then suggested that judging by GPS data, Mercedes had plenty left up their sleeves to unleash back in Bahrain for next weekend’s season opener.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, meanwhile, has triggered a spike in energy prices prompting teams to question the new budget caps.

“I think it’s a very real problem because we’re already seeing extremely high inflation,” Red Bull boss Christian Horner said

“What you have to remember is when the budget cap was set back in the midst of the pandemic — in the middle of 2020 — nobody could have foreseen the circumstances we have in the world today.”

Teams’ budgets were reduced from $AUD200 million last year to $190m this season and $185m in 2023.