F1 team principal REPLACED as health update issued

A Formula 1 team principal was replaced during media duties during pre-season testing in Bahrain this week, with Sky F1's Ted Kravitz revealing the minor health reason for their absence.

The second day of testing took place at the Bahrain International Circuit on Thursday, where Carlos Sainz set the fastest time overall, closely followed by the two Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen in rival CLASH as Red Bull testing gamble unravels

READ MORE: Aston Martin make official Lance Stroll replacement decision as health update issued

However, the order of the field will not be properly revealed until the first race weekend in Australia in a few weeks, as the teams assess whether their new designs work or if further adjustments need to be made before lights out in Melbourne.

Alongside their drivers, team principals have also been in attendance at Sakhir to make sure the first sessions of the year all go to plan.

F1 provides nail-biting entertainment from 24 insane destinations, to catch all the live action, exclusively with Sky Sports, click here.

Sauber team principal 'misses' F1 testing media duty

Pre-season testing in Bahrain has been unusually cold, with rain hitting the track during Thursday morning’s session which caught several teams by surprise.

All teams, bar Aston Martin and Haas, failed to bring wet weather tyres to the circuit, with Esteban Ocon the only driver to stick on a pair of intermediate tyres and head out on track in the rain.

It appears that an F1 team principal has also been impacted by the weather, at least according to Sky F1 presenter Kravitz, who revealed that Sauber boss Mattia Binotto had been absent from media duties on Thursday.

READ MORE: F1 testing 2025: Dates, times and how to watch LIVE

According to the Sky Sports pundit, Binotto lost his voice and could not attend the press event, instead replaced by technical director James Key, with Kravitz joking that the cold weather had impacted the Italian’s health.

"Wishing Mattia Binotto a return to full health by the way, he’s lost his voice which was why he was replaced in the press conference earlier with the technical director James Key," Kravitz said.

"Poor Mattia, the chill of Bahrain has not been kind to his throat."

READ MORE: F1 team to run ONE driver in 'Bahrain Grand Prix'

Related

Pre-Season Testing 2025

Williams love-in revealed as SHOCK retro domination tipped - GPFans Testing hot takes

• 1 hour ago

Pre-Season Testing 2025

F1 Testing Results Today: Hamilton lands HUGE Ferrari blow after driver SWAP chaos

• 3 hours ago