Pascal Wehrlein will return to Sauber for the Bahrain Grand Prix

Pascal Wehrlein will finally race for his new Formula One team this weekend after Sauber confirmed that he is fit enough to return to the cockpit at the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday (16 April).

The German driver, who raced for the now defunct Manor Racing Team last season moved to Sauber for the 2017 campaign, but missed the first two races due to a back injury.

"We are pleased to inform that Pascal Wehrlein will be back in the car as of the Bahrain GP!" the Sauber F1 team announced via their official Twitter account.

Wehrlein suffered micro fractures to his back following a crash at the Race of Champions earlier in the year. He missed the first winter test at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, but returned for the second test at the same venue.

The German driver, who is part of the Mercedes young driver programme, was expected to make his debut for his new team at the season opening Australian Grand Prix on 26 March. But lack of training due to the injury saw him pull out of the race after the Friday practice sessions citing lack of fitness. The 22-year-old also missed the second race in China, but is ready to return in the desert circuit this weekend.

Ferrari reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi replaced the German in both the races. The Italian driver gave a good account of himself on his debut in Australia by finishing 12th in the race, but China proved to be a disastrous outing after he crashed both in qualifying and the race.