Giovinazzi to fill in for injured Wehrlein at first test

Pascal Wehrlein is set to miss the first pre-season test for Sauber due to injury, with Antonio Giovinazzi lined up to replace him.

The Mercedes youngster injured his neck in a crash at the Race of Champions that saw his car roll following a collision with Felipe Massa soon after crossing the finish line. While he showed no sign of injury at the time, Wehrlein pulled out of the following day's racing in order to rest and has been receiving medical attention since the accident.

With a further medical examination to take place next week, RACER understands Wehrlein is set to miss at least the first test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in order to give the injury more time to heal, with Ferrari third driver Giovinazzi in line to drive instead. A deal is yet to be finalized, but the situation should be resolved in the coming days.

Giovinazzi impressed during his rookie GP2 campaign last season, winning five races and missing out on the championship to teammate Pierre Gasly at the final round in Abu Dhabi. Off the back of his performance, the Italian impressed Ferrari during simulator work and was signed to be its third driver.

The 22-year-old also got his first taste of Formula 1 machinery at Ferrari's Fiorano test track at the start of February, driving the SF15-T from 2015.

While teams only run with one car during pre-season testing, a replacement is required due to the physicality of the 2017 cars, with cornering speeds expected to make it too demanding for a driver to carry out more than two days of testing in succession effectively.

Should Wehrlein require longer to recover, Giovinazzi would be in the frame to continue to deputize. Sauber is also understood to have held tentative talks with former driver Felipe Nasr as a potential replacement.

Sauber has often run Ferrari young drivers before, with Raffaele Marciello becoming the team's test and reserve driver in 2015 while part of the Ferrari Driver Academy.