Lando Norris is expected to be fit for the Brazilian Grand Prix despite falling ill on Thursday, Mirror Sport understands.
The 22-year-old missed media day on Thursday after complaining of feeling unwell. McLaren later confirmed that it was suspected he had food poisoning, and that he would remain at the team hotel to give him the best chance of recovering in time to compete.
As this is a Sprint race weekend, qualifying takes place on Friday giving Norris a shorter timeframe than usual in which to get better. As a precaution, the team began to prepare Mercedes reserve Nyck de Vries to step in if required, with other potential options Stoffel Vandoorne and Oscar Piastri not at the circuit.
But it appears the Dutchman's intervention will not be necessary after all. Norris is back at the track today, and McLaren are expected to confirmed that he has recovered enough to take part in free practice and qualifying today, and therefore presumably the rest of the race weekend. He has also been included in the FIA's official entry list for the event.
This was the second time in 2022 that Norris has been forced to miss a media day through illness. The first was in Barcelona earlier this year, that time suffering from tonsillitis, but he was able to take part in the competitive action that weekend.
Regardless of his return to fitness, the Brit's illness so close to the penultimate race of the season is far from ideal, for the driver or for his team. McLaren are currently locked in a tight battle with Alpine for fourth place in the constructors' championship.
Norris' team is trailing, but only by seven points heading into the final two races of the year. A greater amount of prize money is on offer for the team that can snatch fourth place from the other, as well as bragging rights between the two best midfield teams.
The 22-year-old's availability is a boost to McLaren, given he has scored the majority of the team's points this season. In contrast, team-mate Daniel Ricciardo has struggled for consistency – though the Aussie did produce one of his best performances of the year last time out in Mexico.
He finished one place ahead of Alpine racer Esteban Ocon, while Norris was also in the points. It meant McLaren were able to close the gap on their rivals, as Fernando Alonso was forced to retire with an engine failure. But the Spaniard will not need to take a penalty this weekend, as he has another power unit in reserve to fall back on.
