F1 News, Reports and Race Results

CONFIRMED: Wehrlein forced to skip first 2017 F1 test

New Sauber F1 driver Pascal Wehrlein has confirmed that he will have to skip 2017’s first pre-season test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya following his accident at the Race of Champions last month in Miami.

The former DTM champion suffered a scary shunt when the open-top three-wheeler in which he was competing went into the safety barriers and flipped over at Marlins Park.

Wehrlein’s participation had grown increasingly uncertain in recent weeks with Sauber addressing reports last week by tweeting that medical examinations were still ongoing.

The 22-year-old German took to his own Twitter account on Friday to announce that he will have to miss the opening group session in Spain due to a back problem.

Sauber has yet to communicate on Wehrlein’s replacement but it is understood that Ferrari reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi will get the nod.

The first pre-season test will be held from February 27 to March 2 at the Spanish Grand Prix venue.

GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Julien Billiotte

Recent Posts

Perez admits he ‘had doubts’ about returning to F1 with Cadillac

For much of 2025, the paddock conversation around Sergio Perez was surprisingly straightforward: a driver…

14 hours ago

Briatore questions Alpine’s results: ‘Why are we not winning?’

Flavio Briatore is not a man accustomed to standing on the sidelines of victory, nor…

15 hours ago

Richie Ginther: A man on the brink of F1 greatness

Richie Ginther was born on this day in 1930. A glance at the American F1…

17 hours ago

The Max effect: Verstappen Racing scores first Pro-Class GT win

  Victory at last! After enduring a frustrating season plagued by mechanical failures and unavoidable…

18 hours ago

Hakkinen warns McLaren on Verstappen move: ‘Why rock the boat?’

Mika Hakkinen has urged McLaren to resist the temptation of making a blockbuster move for…

19 hours ago

Veteran Aston Martin engineer Tim McCullough to exit team after 2026

Long-serving Aston Martin engineer Tim McCullough is reportedly set to leave the team at the…

20 hours ago