Kevin Magnussen will need permission from the FIA medical delegate to take to the track for final practice on Saturday morning after leaving the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez early on Friday due to illness.
The Haas F1 Team racer left the track just before 5pm, with the FIA allowing him special dispensation to skip the drivers’ briefing, with team principal Guenther Steiner believing the Dane is suffering with some kind of stomach bug.
Steiner said Magnussen had no issue when he was driving, and that they fully expect him to be cleared to resume driving on Saturday, but Antonio Giovinazzi is on standby should he not get clearance from the FIA to drive.
“He’s actually feeling a lot better,” said Steiner to Motorsport.com. “But we wanted to get him back to the hotel so he rests, and also that he doesn’t give it to everyone.
“He must have a stomach bug, there’s no fever or anything. It was actually just me saying, ‘I think it’s better if you back to the hotel,’ but we had to ask permission because of the drivers’ briefing.
“He was fine in the car, we wouldn’t have let him in the car if he wasn’t. He was just feeling a little bit of a stomach problem.”
