Listen to this article McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo was forced to skip the second winter test in Bahrain last week following a positive test, while Aston Martin announced on Thursday that Sebastian Vettel will miss the opening race of the new season after contracting Covid-19. For 2022, the FIA’s Covid-19 protocols have been relaxed in some ways. Personnel are no longer required to complete a PCR test within 24 hours of entering the paddock, although it is strongly encouraged, and local guidelines still need to be followed. A number of teams have returned to doing in-person media sessions for the new season, having chiefly used online platforms such as Zoom for the past two years, while driver autograph sessions are also returning in Bahrain. Ferrari driver Leclerc said it was “good things are coming back slowly to normality”, but stressed the need to stay vigilant. “We need to be cautious, also in-between drivers and all of these things, because Covid has not disappeared from one day to another,” Leclerc said. “Still now, if you have Covid, you cannot race, it’s very costly. We still need to be very careful.” Carlos Sainz Jr., Charles Leclerc and Ferrari’s racing director Laurent Mekies Photo by: Mark Sutton …