AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly is fit and well, so he is able to take part in Friday practice in Monza having suffered a brief bug.
The Frenchman came down with an illness during the week that ruled him out of the track walk and his media commitments on Thursday.
His Italian squad confirmed the news on Thursday morning, but the 26-year-old is now back to normal, and is able to jump into the car to partake in the Monza weekend.
This confirms that the slight health issue was not COVID-related – no Formula 1 drivers have contracted the virus since Sebastian Vettel was forced to miss the opening two rounds of the year for Aston Martin.
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Gasly is returning to the scene of his infamous Monza victory in 2020 this weekend.
Max Verstappen had retired from the race with a reliability failure, Valtteri Bottas’ poor start saw him fall down the order, and Sir Lewis Hamilton was given a penalty for entering the closed pit lane after Kevin Magnussen’s retirement.
This left Gasly in the lead of the race, but he was being pressured by the McLaren of Carlos Sainz, who was also chasing his first-ever win.
After many tense laps, the now 26-year-old held on to take his maiden victory, one year after he had been demoted back to the Red Bull junior side.
Gasly recalled the nerves in the final part of a thrilling afternoon in Monza.
“It was a very intense race, I remember,” he said in a Formula 1 YouTube video.
“[The battle with Sainz] was about, like 25 laps.
“I knew there was one lap to go, and I really didn’t want him to get into that DRS zone because, especially in Monza, I didn’t want to give him any chance to try something.”
The Rouen-born racer, who has since added another podium to his tally in Baku last year, now wants to chase down his second victory.
“When I passed the line, honestly, it’s just black-out,” laughed Gasly.
“It’s just too many emotions coming.
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“There was no way I will miss this chance to win a race because you never know, especially in a midfield team, when is going to be the next opportunity, and [it was an] incredible moment.
“It was nice, but I need to get back to work and get a second one now.”
Gasly and current team-mate, Yuki Tsunoda, have not had an easy time of it this season with an underperforming car, and the Italian side sit eighth in the Constructors’ Standings.