McLaren explain Daniel Ricciardo's continued absence from testing

Day two of Formula 1 testing is underway in Bahrain as the teams continue to pile up the miles and get as much data as they can on their new cars before the first Grand Prix at the same venue next weekend in Sakhir.

It’s been pretty impressive so far as to how many teams have been able to clock up the mileage without too many reliability issues, though there have been some expected hiccups along the way with the new regulations being ushered in.

Indeed, these all-new cars are totally different to handle from their recent predecessors and so the drivers will want to be running in them as much as possible to keep learning.

Unfortunately for Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo, though, getting those all-important laps in this week has proven too much of a task for him thanks to illness.

The McLaren ace took part in the ‘No War’ photoshoot earlier this week as the drivers lend their support to the people of Ukraine but he has been missing for the last couple of days, crucially missing testing opportunity.

Indeed, McLaren have revealed that illness has struck the former Red Bull and Renault driver and he will miss today’s test, as he did yesterday in Sakhir.

A statement from the team read:

“Daniel Ricciardo began feeling unwell yesterday morning, and while showing signs of improvement, the team will continue to assess him before he resumes driving duties.”

It’s good Ricciardo is getting better but it sounds as though he’s not quite ready to be back behind the wheel.

Hopefully, for his preparation for next season’s sake, he’ll be fit enough to drive on Saturday – the last day of testing before the real fun begins.