Fernando Alonso says he will have two metal plates in his jaw for the duration of this season after breaking it in a cycling accident last month.
The two-time champion will on Saturday drive a Formula 1 car for the first time since the incident.
“I don’t expect any issues, honestly,” he said. “One thing is the professional and driving side, which is 100%.
“On the personal, I will have to remove two titanium plates in the upper jaw at the end of the season.”
The 39-year-old, who is returning to F1 with the Alpine team this season after two years away, said he had been forced to rest for “nine or 10 days” after breaking his upper jaw in a collision with a car in Lugano, Switzerland, but had been training “absolutely normally” for the past two weeks.
He added that he had driven in Alpine’s simulator on Monday and Tuesday before flying to Bahrain for the pre-season test.