Sauber has confirmed that Pascal Wehrlein will be back behind the wheel of his Sauber for this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.
After a two race hiatus after pulling out of the Australian GP, Wehrlein will resume his duties and finally kick off his 2017 season.
The German driver did not travel to China last week, preferring to remain in Europe and focus on upgrading his fitness which had taken a hit following a crash earlier this year in the Race of Champions event in Miami.
"My back was extremely compressed in the crash and there were three small hairline fractures in the area of the thoracic vertebrae," the 22-year-old told TZ.
"A normal person could have resumed his job after a few days, but this is not the case with a professional athlete.
Wehrlein says that he is now all set and ready to go!
"After some special training in Salzburg, I feel ready now."
Good news: We are pleased to inform that Pascal Wehrlein will be back in the car as of the #BahrainGP! #F1 @PWehrlein pic.twitter.com/rnWbfYsK9k
— Sauber F1 Team (@SauberF1Team) April 11, 2017
GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
