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A week after testing positive for Covid-19, Lewis Hamilton is waiting to find out if he will test negative for the virus in time to return to racing at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
The world champion missed the Sakhir Grand Prix after testing positive for the virus last Monday. George Russell took his place, but Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has confirmed that Hamilton will return to his car this weekend if he tests negative in time.
“If Lewis recovers, and is getting better every day, and is deemed negative, Covid-free, then he will be in the car,” Wolff said yesterday.
In order to compete, drivers must first participate in at least one of the four pre-race sessions: three practice sessions plus ‘qualifying practice’. Nico Hulkenberg replaced Lance Stroll at the Eifel Grand Prix and only participated in qualifying before the race.
That situation could repeat itself for Hamilton this weekend, depending on whether it tests negative for Covid-19 and how late the result is determined.
“As long as the driver participates in a practice or qualifying session, he is allowed to race,” confirmed FIA F1 race director Michael Masi. “So technically, here and now, a driver only has to meet one of those criteria.
“They couldn’t just show up and race as the only thing they could do, they would have to do one of the practice sessions, be it free practice or qualifying practice beforehand.”
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The last Hamilton could return to his car and be able to participate in the race, therefore at 17:00 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, the start time of qualifying.
Hamilton has been in isolation since his positive test. If he can test negative, Hamilton will have to travel to Abu Dhabi while observing the pandemic restrictions governing Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. This presents more obstacles.
“The main part of all of this has always been complying with the laws and regulations of the respective governments,” Masi said. “It is therefore a fundamental decision for the Bahraini health authorities to determine whether Lewis is fit and compliant with their regulations and then for the Abu Dhabi authorities to determine their criteria. Therefore, it is effectively two government entities that determine the entry criteria. “
Upon arrival in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton will have to complete a 24-hour isolation period after landing, before he can enter the paddock.
“If you meet the entry criteria of the respective governments and then meet the testing protocol from the FIA perspective, to test negative before entering the paddock, then there are no problems from our perspective,” Masi added.
Wolff said Russell will go back to driving for the team if Hamilton can’t get back to racing for them. If Hamilton returns in the middle of the weekend, that could prompt a rearrangement of the seats that were changed in his absence, with Russell returning to Williams in place of Jack Aitken.
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2020 F1 season
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