Norris reports for duty – de Vries stands down

©McLaren

Lando Norris strolled into the paddock at Interlagos on Friday morning looking fit and well after a bout of food poisoning had sidelined him from Thursday's media duties with McLaren.

As a precautionary measure, the Woking-based outfit had prepped Mercedes reserve Nyck de Vries for an eventual one-off with the team in Sao Paulo.

McLaren and Mercedes have had an agreement in place since last year that allows the papaya squad to call upon one of the Brackley team's reserve drivers if necessary.

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McLaren had therefore conducted a seat fitting with de Vries on Thursday to cover its options in case Norris had not recovered in time.

But on Friday morning McLaren confirmed on social media that Norris would be up and running in FP1.

Had de Vries subbed for Norris, it would have been the Dutchman's fourth outing with a different team this season, having previously run in free practice with Williams, Mercedes and Aston Martin, not to mention his remarkable F1 race debut with Williams at the Italian Grand Prix.

The latter rewarded de Vries with a full F1 season next year with AlphaTauri.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.