Sauber confirms Giovinazzi to run at first test

Sauber has confirmed Ferrari third driver Antonio Giovinazzi will drive for the team at the first pre-season test in place of the injured Pascal Wehrlein.

Wehrlein was confirmed as a Sauber driver in January, replacing Felipe Nasr for 2017 having raced for Manor last year. However, the German injured his back in a spectacular crash at the Race of Champions in the same month, rolling his car after the finish line.

The injury has proven more problematic than initially expected and Wehrlein recently announced he would not be taking part in the first pre-season test in Barcelona on medical advice. As reported by RACER last week, Sauber has now confirmed Giovinazzi will replace Wehrlein for the first test at least, which runs from Feb. 27 until March 2.

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"We took the decision that Pascal will not be driving in the first test in Barcelona," Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn said. "We will monitor his medical progress and will then decide on the next steps."

Wehrlein will be present in Barcelona to keep a close eye on progress throughout testing as he gets to know his new team, but there is no timeframe for his return at this stage.

Giovinazzi himself was only confirmed as Ferrari third driver over the winter and added: "I thank the Sauber F1 team for making this real, and also Ferrari for allowing me to replace Pascal for test one in Barcelona."

At present Sauber has yet to confirm when Giovinazzi will test and when Marcus Ericsson will drive, with the new regulations set to make it difficult for drivers to complete more than two consecutive days in a 2017 car. Ericsson carried out the first running of Sauber's new car during a filming day on Tuesday.