F1 News
Total of 7 COVID-19 cases confirmed at Racing Point
- GPblog.com
Of all the Formula 1 team, Racing Point may have been hit hardest by the coronavirus so far. It is the only team whose drivers have been infected; both Sergio Pérez and Lance Stroll have missed races as a result. The team now confirms that there have been five other infections.
Seven COVID-19 cases at Racing Point
The first coronavirus contamination in the F1 paddock concerned Sergio Pérez. Because of this he missed both GP's at Silverstone. Lance Stroll also appeared to have the virus, but only found out after the Eifel Grand Prix. However, he had already missed the race. This turned out to be a great opportunity for Nico Hulkenberg, who was able to replace both drivers.
Lance's father, Lawrence Stroll, also tested positive for the virus. After a period of self-isolation both tested negative again. However, the whole thing raised a lot of questions: Many feel that the test protocols of the FIA should be checked, others criticised the way Racing Point handled the matter.
The positive test was made public by the team quite late. In addition, Stroll had been feeling sick for some time, so it is questionable why Racing Point didn't choose to have him tested again. Therefore, Speedweek.com asked team boss Otmar Szafnauer how many infections the team has had.
"No engineers have been affected. The two drivers, a team owner and a few people in the factory were affected. There were seven people in total. For obvious reasons, we don't give names or positions. We reported each case to the FIA," explains Szafnauer.