"Relieved" Wehrlein back in Bahrain

Pascal Wehrlein looks set to re-take his seat at Sauber after recovering from an injury suffered in January at the Race of Champions. Wehrlein overturned his car after hitting Felipe Massa and has been suffering from back issues ever since.

Yesterday, we reported Toto Wolff's comments on how the German is set for a Bahrain comeback, and the man himself has all but confirmed that he will be re-joining the team. 

"My back was extremely compressed in the crash and there were three small hairline fractures in the area of the thoracic vertebrae," the 22-year-old told TZ. "A normal person could have resumed his job after a few days, but this is not the case with a professional athlete."

When asked how relieved is he to be returning to action this weekend, he said:  "Very. After some special training in Salzburg, I feel ready now."

Wehrlein's seat was occupied by Antonio Giovinazzi during the first two rounds of this year's championship. The Italian impressed in Australia but a double crash in qualifying and the race in China damaged the growing hype surrounding the Ferrari reserve driver.

Speaking about his future, he said Mercedes would form that path for him, however, he can see himself driving at Sauber beyond the current season: "As long as I am under contract to Mercedes, they will decide about my future. But if it was up to me, I could imagine driving for longer with Sauber."

Fergal Walsh