Sebastian Vettel will race for Aston Martin at F1 Australian Grand Prix after Covid absence

The former world champion will make his first appearance of the season in Melbourne.

Sebastian Vettel missed the opening two rounds of the F1 season. (AFP via Getty Images)

Sebastian Vettel will race for Aston Martin in the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix after recovering from Covid-19.

The four-time world champion missed the opening two rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia owing to a positive test he recorded shortly before flying out to the Middle East, and was replaced by reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg.

Now, the German will return to the grid for the third round in Melbourne, which hosts the Australian race for the first time since 2019 after the relaxation of pandemic-related protocols.

“We are pleased to confirm that Sebastian Vettel is now fit to race and will therefore line up alongside Lance Stroll in Melbourne to kick off his 202 F1 season at the Australian Grand Prix,” the team announced on its social media channels on Thursday morning.

Aston Martin’s new AMR22 struggled at the Sakhir and Jeddah Circuits, with Stroll and Hulkenberg mired at the back of the pack alongside Williams, the car lacking straight line speed and looking heavy through the corners. The team has yet to score a single point so far this season and sits ninth in the constructors’ standings.

Cars running Mercedes engines have generally been slower than their rivals so far this season, with the Silver Arrows themselves far off the pace of frontrunners Ferrari and Red Bull, and McLaren, Aston Martin and Williams occupying the lowest positions in the team standings. Ferrari-engined cars run by Haas and Alfa Romeo, meanwhile, seem far quicker and those teams have moved forward to the top of the midfield.

For Aston Martin, the season could be fruitless if they are unable to upgrade their car significantly and quickly.

Vettel joined the team ahead of the 2021 campaign after departing Ferrari, with owner Lawrence Stroll promising to spend heavily in order to challenge for the world championship within the next five years. Vettel’s run of four consecutive world championships came between 2010 and 2013.

When Nikita Mazepin’s Haas seat became vacant following the Russian’s sacking by the team over familial links to president Vladimir Putin, Hulkenberg was one of the names linked to the drive but eventually the American outfit opted for a reunion with 29-year-old Kevin Magnussen, the Danish driver it had dropped at the end of 2020 in favour of Mazepin and the sponsorship money he was able to provide.

The Australian Grand Prix takes place on the weekend of 8 April.