Daniel Ricciardo confident in quick recovery after missing Bahrain test

Daniel Ricciardo says he is more confident and comfortable than ever heading into his second year with McLaren ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Daniel Ricciardo in the McLaren MCL36 during a filming day. (McLaren Racing)

The Australia was ruled out of the pre-season test in Bahrain after feeling unwell and testing positive to COVID-19.

The team has confirmed he has now returned a negative test and will be back in time for the first track session on Friday.

"I’m glad to be back, feeling better and ready for the Bahrain Grand Prix and season ahead," said Ricciardo.

"I was disappointed to not be in the car last week but despite being unwell, I’ve been able to keep in touch with the team, chat to Lando about the car and prepare as best as I can for the race weekend."

"I want to maximise the Free Practice sessions to better understand the car and fine tune everything ready for qualifying and lights out on Sunday."

"It’s hard to know where we’ll be on the grid but it's going to be competitive and I’m hungry to get back in the car and go racing."

Daniel Ricciardo will leave COVID isolation in time for the Bahrain Grand Prix. (McLaren Racing)

Teams head into the unknown this weekend for the first competitive running under the new era of Formula 1 regulations.

McLaren were hampered in the pre-season test with a brake issue, but Ricciardo remains positive.

"I’m excited and prepared to be entering my fourth season in Formula 1 with the team."

"I’m looking forward to building on the progress we’ve made together over the years and I’m ready to hit the ground running."

"The tests in Barcelona and Bahrain have taught us a lot about the car but there’s still more for us to understand and work on."

"I want to thank every person in the team for their hard work and dedication in building the MCL36 so we can go racing this season."

"Hopefully we can have a strong start to the year.”

Teammate Lando Norris, who took over driving duties for all three days of the test, says the team has been hard at work to rectify the issues.

"The team has been working incredibly hard to address the issues we had at testing and make sure we’re ready to battle it out on track this weekend," said Norris.