Sergio Perez Tests Positive For Covid-19
Mexican driver Sergio Perez has tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus and will miss this weekend’s 2020 British Grand Prix.
The 30-year-old Perez, who races for Racing Point, is the first Formula One driver to test positive since the 2020 season began earlier this month.
Perez, along with all his close contacts – as per Formula 1’s track-and-trace system – has entered self-quarantine.
F1’s governing body – the FIA – issued a statement that indicated Perez was the only one affected so far, and did not say whether or not he had underlying medical conditions which would indicate if he was in any of the high-risk categories for the virus.
Racing Point may select one of their reserve drivers – Stoffel Vandoorne or Esteban Gutierrez – or select another driver of their choosing. Gutierrez, last raced in F1 in 2016, and is currently the designated reserve for this weekend, while Vandoorne last raced in 2018 for McLaren, and is currently preparing for the August 2020 resumption in Berlin of the Formula E season, where he is a title contender.