Formula 1 2017: Sauber's Pascal Wehrlein to skip first part of F1 following medical advice

Sauber Formula 1 Team driver Pascal Wehrlein will skip the first part of Formula One (F1) pre-season testing following a medical advice. The 22-year-old German F1 driver announced this on Twitter on Feb. 17.

"I have to skip the first winter test due to medical advice because of a BACK issue. I feel sorry for the team but we'll come back stronger," Wehrlein tweeted. In January, Wehrlein was injured at the Nations Cup event held in Miami. The young driver's car crashed heavily into the barriers as he was racing against Brazilian driver Felipe Massa.

Wehrlein in Sauber F1 Team

Wehrlein was with Manor Team before joining the Sauber F1 Team this year. He will be with Swedish driver Marcus Ericsson. The first part of F1 2017's winter test will start from Feb. 27 to March 2 while the second part will be from March 7 to March 10. The winter tests will be held in Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona.

The season opening of F1 2017 will happen in Melbourne, Australia on March 26. The other schedules are the following.

• April 9: Shanghai, China; April 16: Bahrain, Bahrain; April 30: Sochi, Russia
• May 14: Barcelona, Spain; May 28: Monte Carlo, Monaco
• June 11: Montreal, Canada; June 25: Baku, Azerbaijan
• July 9: Spielberg, Austria; July 16: Silverstone, United Kingdom; July 30: Budapest, Hungary;
• Aug. 27: Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
• Sep. 3: Monza, Italy; Sep. 17: Singapore, Singapore
• Oct. 1: Sepang, Malaysia; Oct. 8: Suzuka, Japan; Oct. 22: Austin, US; October 29: Mexico City, Mexico
• Nov. 12: Sao Paolo, Brazil and Nov. 26: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Meanwhile, the 2017 in-season test schedule will be on April 18 to 19 in Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain. The second part will be on Aug. 1 to 2 in Hungaroring, Hungary. The teams that will participate in F1 2017 are Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, Force India, Williams, McLaren, Toro Rosso, Haas, Renault and Sauber.

The race drivers of Mercedes are Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Red Bull will have Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen and reserve driver Pierre Gasly. They will use the TAG Heuer-badged Renault for their engines. Ferrari will be with race drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen and third driver Antonio Giovinazzi. Meanwhile, Force India's team will have race drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon with Mercedes for their engines.

Williams will be competing with race drivers Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll using Mercedes for their engines. Race drivers Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne will go for the win for McLaren using Honda brand. Toro Rosso will be with race drivers Carlos Sainz and Daniil Kvyat and reserve driver Pierre Gasly using Renault engines. Moreover, Haas will go for race drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen using Ferrari engines.

Renault's team will be with race drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Jolyon Palmer using their own engines. Finally, Sauber will be with race drivers Marcus Ericsson and Pascal Wehrlein using the Ferrari engines. Meanwhile, Wehrlein's return for the second part of the winter test in Barcelona is something to look forward to as he recovers from his medical condition.