Lance Stroll Tested Positive For Covid-19 At 2020 Eifel Grand Prix
Canadian Racing Point driver Lance Stroll missed the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix two weeks ago at the Nurburgring in Germany due to what was at that time an undisclosed illness but was suspected to be Covid-19. That suspicion was confirmed after the fact by Racing Point and Stroll.
Stroll displayed a number of Covid-19 symptoms at the Nurburgring race and did not race but also was not tested over the race weekend, choosing instead, to return home on the morning of the race where he then took a test.
Stroll’s absence was notable – as he was replaced at the last minute by Nico Hulkenberg – but Racing Point chose not to report Stroll’s illness at the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix to governing body FIA as a potential Covid case.
The Racing Point team, of course, is owned by Stroll’s father, the billionaire Lawrence Stroll.
Lance Stroll issued a statement: “I arrived at the Nurburgring after testing negative in the normal pre-race tests.
“On Saturday morning, I started to feel unwell and woke up with an upset stomach. I followed FIA (Covid) protocol and self-isolated in my motorhome and did not re-enter the paddock.
“I wasn’t fit to race, so I went home early Sunday morning. As I was still feeling under the weather, I took a Covid test on Sunday evening.
“The next day, the results came back positive, so I stayed at home isolating for the next 10 days.”
Stroll – who has reported that he has since tested negative for Covid-19 and is available to race at this weekend’s 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix – becomes the second Racing Point driver to contract Covid-19 this year. His teammate Sergio Perez missed the two races at Silverstone in July after contracting the virus following a trip home to Mexico to see his mother.