After testing positive with COVID-19, Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel will be replaced by Nico Hulkenberg for this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.

Aston Martin revealed on Thursday that Vettel would miss the opening race of the 2022 Formula 1 season in Bahrain.

The four-time world champion received a positive diagnosis barely one week after McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo was forced to withdraw from pre-season testing due to a Covid infection.

Vettel will miss his first Grand Prix weekend since the 2007 European Grand Prix before gaining a full-time race seat with Toro Rosso.

The Aston Martin reserve driver, Nico Hulkenberg, will fill in for his fellow German, marking his fourth substitute appearance in the last two years.

Hulkenberg was pulled in to replace Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll in 2020, when both drivers were sidelined by Covid, with his final Formula One outing coming at that year's Eifel Grand Prix.

Vettel now faces a race against time to prepare for next week's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to Bahrain's quarantine rules.

Seven days of isolation are required. However, exemptions are available for exceptional athletes, as Lewis Hamilton received for the last race of 2020 in Abu Dhabi after missing the previous race due to Covid.

This year, F1 has eased its formerly stringent Covid regulations, with PCR tests now advised and the bubble system between teams eliminated.

McLaren announced on Wednesday that Ricciardo would race this weekend following a negative COVID-19 test.