Lando Norris will skip the media day for Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix after contracting food poisoning, although McLaren does not expect him to miss the race.
Norris became unwell this week after arriving in Sao Paulo.
The team confirmed on Thursday, the media day for any F1 race weekend, that Norris will stay at his hotel to rest instead of going to the circuit.
Brazil is one of three events this year being held under the “sprint” format, meaning on Friday there is just one practice session before a qualifying session.
That means Norris needs to be back in the car for that second session in order to take part in the rest of the race weekend.
Were he unable to compete, McLaren would have to turn to a reserve driver.
Earlier this year, the team agreed a deal with Alpine to name Oscar Piastri to be joint reserve driver for the 2022 season. However, McLaren then signed Piastri to a 2023 contract under Alpine’s noses, a deal which had to be confirmed by the FIA’s contract recognition board.
Despite being set for McLaren next season, Piastri is still under contract with Alpine and, given the events of this year, the French team might block him from standing in for Norris if needed.
As a Mercedes engine customer, McLaren would likely have access to Nyck de Vries. The Dutch driver stood in for Alex Albon at Williams during the Italian Grand Prix in September.