Mercedes team member tests positive for Covid-19; Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas clear
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 08/10/2020 at 15:44 GMT
Formula One champions Mercedes reported on Thursday that a member of their team had tested positive for Covid-19 but a spokesman said drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were clear. It was added that the situation is "being handled in line with FIA protocols, working closely with the FIA" ahead of the Eifel Grand Prix this weekend.
Mercedes logo
Image credit: Getty Images
Mercedes have confirmed that a team member has tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of this weekend’s Eifel Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in Germany.
The identity of the person has not been revealed but Mercedes have confirmed it is not Lewis Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas.
A team spokesman said: “We can confirm that a team member has tested positive. This has been handled and is being handled in line with FIA protocols, working closely with the FIA.”
Six-times world champion Hamilton leads Bottas in the Formula 1 championship by 44 points after 10 races.
The sport is operating in carefully controlled bubbles, even within teams, with access to the paddock restricted to essential staff and employees subjected to regular tests.
Formula One last week reported 10 positive Covid-19 tests over the Russian Grand Prix weekend, the most yet but all ancillary personnel, and said the teams were unaffected in that batch.
Racing Point's Mexican Sergio Perez, who missed two races in August, remains the only driver so far to have tested positive for the virus.
The Russian race in Sochi was the first with a substantial crowd in attendance. Organisers said 30,000 people visited the Olympic Park each day.
Additional reporting by Reuters
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement