Sebastian Vettel has joked that he feels like a kid late for school as he prepares to make the 2022 Australian Grand Prix his first race of the F1 season. The Aston Martin driver has touched down in Australia and is ready to race after missing both the Bahrain GP and Saudi Arabian GP due to a positive Covid test. Nico Hulkenberg replaced him as Lance Stroll's teammate at the British outfit, but has now stepped aside.
Vettel has missed four weeks of F1
Vettel's return in Australia will see him get behind the wheel of his AMR22 for the first time since pre-season testing in Bahrain, now four weeks ago. "After testing positive and missing the first two races, it feels a bit like arriving late to school, so I'm really keen to get going again," said Vettel. "Starting my season in Australia is something I've done before, of course, and it's also great that Formula 1 is returning after a difficult couple of years."
Vettel has plenty of homework to do
His stand-in, Hulkenberg, explained that Vettel will have plenty of homework to do before he jumps back into the car. Vettel's first laps should come on Friday during FP1 (04:00 BST) with the team looking to score their first points of the season. "For me, after nearly a month out of the car, it will be important to learn throughout the practice sessions," admitted four-time World Champion Vettel. "I hope we can take some steps forward in what is usually an exciting and unpredictable race."
Most read
