Pascal Wehrlein insists he will make his Formula One race debut for Sauber in this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix after enjoying a "great feeling" on his return from injury.
The German-Mauritian was forced to pull out of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix following Friday practice in Melbourne, admitting he was not fit enough to complete a full-race distance in F1's new faster and more aggressive 2017 cars.
Having missed both races in Australia and China while he recovered from the back injury he sustained in a crash at the Race of Champions in January, Wehrlein returned to the Sauber cockpit on Friday to complete 52 laps of the Bahrain International Circuit, almost the equivalent of Sunday's race distance (57).
"[I'm really happy to get some laps in today," he said. "Great feeling. Didn't drive a lot this year so great to be back and really looking forward to now to tomorrow. We improved the car from FP1 to FP2, and getting more used to the car.
"Just really happy with the day. It felt a lot better than in Melbourne. Pain-wise, a lot better. Also strength-wise, a lot better. I can confirm that I will race on Sunday, and yeah, looking forward to it."
Wehrlein, who was replaced by Ferrari reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi for the opening two rounds of the season, admits it will take time for him to feel completely comfortable in the Sauber C36.
"Of course it will take a bit more time to be perfect and to have a perfect feeling and to know how to setup the car. But overall I'm really happy with today. Came straight back to a good pace and I will improve for tomorrow.
"I think performance-wise, we are a bit off, and as expected it's not the best track for us, but that's not my main focus this weekend. It's just about enjoying this weekend to be back in the car and doing what I love to do."