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Formula 1
The penultimate Grand Prix of the season on Sunday at Sachir (6.10pm, live on ORF1) takes place without Lewis Hamilton. The world champion tested positive for the corona virus after his 11th win of the season on Sunday and is isolated.
Mercedes announced this on Tuesday and said, “Other than mild symptoms, she is fine and feeling fit.” Hamilton has been tested three times in the past week; according to his team, the results were negative on all occasions. The last time they tried it was Sunday afternoon.
However, the Brit woke up with mild symptoms Monday morning. At the same time, the seven-time world champion was informed “that a contact person he was in contact with prior to his arrival in Bahrain had subsequently tested positive,” Mercedes said. The test carried out in Hamilton was positive and another confirmed the result.
The replacement controller is still open
Hamilton had won the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday. It is unclear whether he will be able to start the World Cup final in Abu Dhabi in a week and a half. It is not yet known who will replace him in the second Bahrain race at Silver Arrows in eight days.
“We will announce our plans for a replacement driver for next weekend in the subsequent course,” the racing team announced. The substitute driver for Hamilton and his Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas is Stoffel Vandoorne of Belgium. Mexican Esteban Gutiérrez is also one of the Silver Arrows pilots. According to Mercedes, Vandoorne will contest a Formula E test in Valencia on Tuesday and then, as planned, will travel to Bahrain.
Not the first to be affected
The world champion is not the first Formula 1 driver to be infected with a virus this year. As a result, both Racing Point team drivers, Mexico’s Sergio Pérez and Canadian Lance Stroll, had to skip races at different times. Each of them was replaced by the German Nico Hülkenberg. Several racing teams, including Mercedes, were hit by mishaps among key employees. The week before, he caught Red Bull, where sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, among others, had to give up the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Hamilton’s mandatory layoff has no effect on title decisions. He has already established himself as a world champion, and with the team he has long secured the title in the constructors’ championship.
