Hulkenberg returns for Racing Point as Perez tests positive for Covid-19 again

2020 70th Anniversary Grand Prix

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Racing Point has confirmed Nico Hulkenberg will drive for them again in this weekend’s 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Hulkenberg will return as a replacement for Sergio Perez. Racing Point confirmed Perez remains positive for Covid-19 following a further test for the virus yesterday. The team said he is “physically well and recovering”.

Hulkenberg failed to start last weekend’s British Grand Prix due to a power unit problem. It was his first appearance at a Formula 1 event since he left Renault at the end of last season.

“I’m excited to get going again with the team at Silverstone,” said Hulkenberg. “Last weekend, it was a real step into the unknown having been away from the team for a few years – and driving a car I’d never driven before.

“I’ve learned a lot in the last week about the RP20, and I am ready to apply my experiences to this weekend. Racing at the same track again makes things a bit easier and the team has done a great job in helping me get up to speed.

“I think we can fight for points this weekend, which is definitely my goal. I also want to wish Checo all the best in his recovery.”

Hulkenberg did “a really strong job last weekend” said Racing Point CEO Otmar Szafnauer. “He proved why he was an obvious choice to stand in for Checo.

“It was a big shame he couldn’t actually take the start of the race last Sunday, but the all that hard work will prove very useful for this weekend. We miss having Checo with us, but we wish him well and look forward to welcoming him back into the team in the near future.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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44 comments on “Hulkenberg returns for Racing Point as Perez tests positive for Covid-19 again”

  1. And to think that until last week, the UK would let you go back to regular business after 7 days when it’s clearly not out of your system (despite not having symptoms), really goes to show these rules make no sense.

    1. The UK government are pursuing Herd Immunity, they are clueless.

  2. It’s expected. I’m going to say it again, Perez would found positive for at least five weeks.

    1. Agreed it’s all part of a plan to prepare an ET invasion

    2. I’m going to say it again, Perez would found positive for at least five weeks.

      I’ve probably said it before, @ruliemaulana, but ‘I’m going to say it again’: what a load of BS.
      Checo was tested at least every 5 days up until the Hungarian GP. He clearly caught the virus after that.

      1. @coldfly this is not the first time you reply my comment with the same comment either. What does how many times he’s getting tested has anything to do with how long someone would get infected? You’re not the brightest bulb around here aren’t you?

        1. I’m certainly not bright enough to understand that when you write “would found” you might actually mean “will test”.
          But with the help of the other shed tools, boxed crayons, and chandelier lights, I came to this conclusion after reading your reply.
          @ruliemaulana

          1. I think @ruliemaulana just wanted to say that it is to be expected that Perez will test positive with the virus for the next few weeks to come, so probably not going to Barcelona either (provided the circus actually gets to travel there at all) and might not even be on for the first of the italian stint @coldfly

      2. @coldfly It’s not my place to police the comments, but surely you can infer what is being said from the original comment and this is just a typo?

        1. I would not have answered as I did had I noticed the ‘typo’.
          I even quoted it to emphasise what I was replying to.
          And don’t forget there are some ‘experts’ on this site who claim that as Checo was allegedly a bit ill in Hungary, they claim that he had COVID-19 before his trip to Mexico.
          @optimaximal

    3. Covid CAN take UP TO 6 weeks to be eradicated from the body but that’s pretty much the worst case scenario, I expect Perez to test negative in the next 2 weeks. Is he still asymptomatic?

      1. @davidjwest @bascb Nature Medicine study found that asymptomatic patients recovered (starting to test negative) five days longer than a mildly symptomatic patients. The average was 19 days.

        In Bali there’s one patient who looks and feels healthy but keep getting positive results for two and half months. In South Korea the same thing happened but they believe it was just some RNA residue of the virus.

    4. @ruliemaulana as soon as Hulk is close enough to beat Stroll, Perez will test negative.

  3. Glad that checo is okay, but also very much that Hulkenberg gets his chance to race.

  4. I wonder what happens with the Spanish GP if Checo has to start a separate isolation-period now? If it doesn’t count as part of the same he started on Wednesday/Thursday last week.

    1. I hope all parties have become smarter now, and don’t try to find loopholes.
      Integrity of the safety measures (e.g. bubbles) is most important to keep F1 ‘a global example’ of how create a ‘new normal’.

      If I were RP or Perez, I would announce a quarantine of at least 10 days and confirm that Perez will nor race in Spain either.
      @jerejj

    2. If you test negative, you are allowed everywhere IIRC.

      1. Best practice is 2 independent negative tests, @paeschli.
        But the WHO guidelines and most countries have moved on from that for the general public as it is possible to test positive even if you are no longer contageous. The alternative is testing by growing the virus in a lab, but that has its own challenges.
        Typically you are considered not contageous 10 days after getting the disease. I hope though that F1 sticks to requiring a negative test (extra safety) before allowing individuals back into the bubble.

    3. He’ll miss the Spanish GP too as it is within the 10 days quarantine period (the duration was extended right after Checo’s inconclusive test last week…)

    4. Good question, I expect he will isolate/quarantine until he tests negative. That would be logical.

  5. Presumably he now enters a new 10 day quarantine period?
    Common sense would say so.

    1. I would doubt it, otherwise he would have had to wait 10 days after his second test Last Thursday not just the 7 from the initial one… and he would not have been able to race this weekend negative result or not

      I doesn’t seem to me that the quarantine period resets after every negative test, he will race next weekend if it’s negative

  6. Why did they test again after a week? In my country (Pakistan), a second test is done after the mandatory 14 day quarantine period. Is it different in UK and Europe?

    1. The UK and the EU are more concerned about the economy than corona.
      If the economy takes another beating the consequences are far more grave than the amount of deaths from corona. Especially, since the huge majority of covid victims are the elderly.

      1. GtisBetter (@)
        7th August 2020, 10:58

        all speculation, no facts.

        1. Simple fact: the EU, UK and USA are in the biggest economic crisis ever seen in the history of the modern world.

        2. Fact is UK has the highest death rate in the world, certainly of major developed countries. Due to the government’s haphazard response.

          1. @davidjwest hey don’t tell that to left leaning Americans! They will argue tooth and nail how terrible the US is doing, and how no amount of facts can ever make them believe that they aren’t the highest death rate, highest infection rate, highest stupidity rate, etc.

    2. Because he wants to race? I’m guessing he will be tested every single week until a negative result appears.

  7. Hope he gets a good result!

  8. Great. Hope Racing Point will allow him to race on Sunday this time.

    1. Wasn’t it Mercedes HPP that stopped him last week? :P

  9. I am speechless PHE said he only had to quarantine for 7 days in the first place

    Why does it matter what day he tested positive? They changed it to 10 days so 10 days it is

    1. It’s 8 days since the 30th July, the day Perez tested positive and the day they extended the period to 10 days.

    2. @the-edge Arguing the toss about local health guidance is irrelevant. The FIA will not allow anyone into the paddock ‘bubble’ without a confirmed Negative test. The local health guidelines are simply related to how long he will have to quarantine himself, although I guess it’s not entirely clear whether he now has to, once again, quarantine himself…

  10. Yet, according to the British government it would have been fine for Perez to not stay in quarantine after 7 days….

  11. Demonstrates how ludicrous it was attempting to get him back in the car so soon. There’s no point taking unnecessary risks with COVID.

    I’d like to see some leadership from the FIA and have a mandated period of leave following a positive COVID test…

  12. Happy for the racing point mechanics that can go about their business without worrying about catching it from one of their drivers. Management has really let themselves down at RP over this.

  13. This team has been fined heavily including points being taken back.

  14. Breaking news
    Racing point have just been fined €400000 and deducted 15 championship points after Renault’s protest is upheld. What does this mean for the rest the season for racing point? Do they field another car, or continue with the same car? And does this mean that their campaign is over?

  15. Podium for The Hulk please

  16. Pleased for Hulk. Hopefully he can get some decent results.

  17. Glad (and much relieved personally) to see that almost all the comments have some common sense in regards to precautions to this virus… really shocking to see the management of racing point, and the FIA to some extent, even consider having someone who tested positive in the paddock as little as 10 days after a diagnosis

  18. I predict Hulkenberg 4th in the race.

Comments are closed.