Racing Point confirms Perez’s return for Spanish Grand Prix

2020 Spanish Grand Prix

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Sergio Perez will return to the cockpit this weekend after Racing Point confirmed he has tested negative for Covid-19.

“We’re pleased to share the news that Sergio Perez has tested negative for Covid-19,” said Racing Point in a statement.

“The FIA have confirmed that Checo can return to the F1 paddock and he will compete for the team in this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.”

Perez said he was “very lucky that I’ve only had mild symptoms” of Covid-19. “I’ve been able to keep training and make sure that I’m ready to jump back behind the wheel of the car.

“I’m very glad I had my tablet to keep me entertained too, though. I’ve definitely missed racing and it was hard to watch from the outside. I can’t wait to get on track, hopefully this weekend.”

Nico Hulkenberg substituted for Perez during his two-race absence. He failed to start the British Grand Prix due to a power unit failure, but impressed by qualifying third last weekend and finishing seventh.

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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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25 comments on “Racing Point confirms Perez’s return for Spanish Grand Prix”

  1. And with Hulk’s luck Verstappen and the two Mercs take each other out in the first corner and Perez wins.
    *sigh*

    1. Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
      13th August 2020, 11:15

      The last time Bottas and Hamilton touched and actually got any damage was Bahrain 2016. Before that I think it was Brazil 2013. And in Bahrain, it just lost Hamilton 6 places initially. These 2 drivers just won’t take each other out. Especially they are now in the same team.

      1. These 2 drivers just won’t take each other out.

        They don’t have to if they continue to ruin the tyres and effectively take themselves out :P
        @thegianthogweed

      2. @thegianthogweed
        Bottas only joined Mercedes in 2017.

        1. Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
          13th August 2020, 18:38

          I know that. Can’t you tell i am also discussing their clashes before they were team mates given that I mention Bahrain 2016 and Brazil 2013? I know that Bottas was at Williams in both of those seasons.

  2. Netflix will make it look like Sergio was on a death bed, but survived to live and fight another day!

  3. Right, except there won’t be a Mercedes crash. They don’t have two drivers who think they are #1.

    1. You’re absolutely right! I totally forgot!

      Hmm. Just thought it might make much more sense for RP/AM to hire Bottas for 2022 than Vettel from 2021 on.
      More money from Perez’ sponsors for 2021, Merc are happy who can finally bring in Russell and Bottas might be happy as teamleader at Aston Martin. Might play along with Stroll junior too. Vettel is a risky move at the moment.

      1. Why would they do that when Bottas is at best an equivalent, perhaps a slight downgrade, on Perez?

  4. Did he produce multiple negative tests?

    1. Yeah, it should be 14 days since first negative test. And it should be at least 3 tests.

      1. @f1mre, I have the same question. @regs, I thought he tested positive last Thursday? Otherwise he would have been able to race in last weekend’s race. At most, it’s been 8 days since his last positive. Perhaps he has benefitted from the “bubble” moving to Spain, where the restrictions are different from the UK?

  5. So he was mildly symptomatic, I was under assumption that he was asymptomatic. The Nature Medicine study did say that mildly symptomatic patients recovered five days faster than asymptomatic one. 14 days is the average recovery for mildly symptomatic. I wonder what symptoms Perez had.

    1. He claimed to be asymptomatic on Twitter while Szafnauer at the same time said on camera that Perez had mild symptoms. Perez just this week “confessed” to have had mild symptoms.

      1. Szafnauer

        Just pronouncing that name makes one seem to sneeze and thus mildly symptomatic.
        Mexican spicey food could also give anyone a temperature rise.

        1. They don’t test with temperatures they stick 2 sticks with cotton up in your nose and back of your throat very unplesant. But i thought he didn’t had any complains even testing positive.

          persons under the age of 30 get only mild symptoms and he was in very good health he should be up and running this weekend.

  6. There is no such thing as a COVID-19 test, it’s SARS-CoV-2. Kinda funny that the media has abandoned the term “coronavirus” but instead uses the wrong scientific abbreviation now.

    1. Except there are many types of coronavirus, and COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is the particular strain we are dealing with. Simply saying “coronavirus” is, in fact, incorrect.

      1. I’m sure @d0senbrot, was referring to the difference between the virus (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease (COVID-19).
        And he is right that you don’t test the disease but merely if somebody has the virus* in his/her respitory system.
        @pastaman

        * Even that is not fully correct. The most popular test can only test if you have the RNA** of the virus; the virus can be ‘defeated’ when you still have rest particles of the RNA in your system.
        ** and also that is not complete as they don’t test for the full RNA but only for some parts which are believed to be unique.

        1. @pastaman Sorry, my post wasn’t clear enough. I basically wanted to say what @coldfly has clarified now.
          Of course COVID-19 is a thing, but in this context we should be talking about SARS-CoV-2.

        2. @coldfly @d0senbrot thanks for clarifying

    2. But they are two different things? COVID-19 refers to the disease itself. SARS-CoV-2 refers to the syndrome that causes the disease…

  7. @d0senbrot, @pastaman, @cduk_mugello: The World Health Organization’s website describes SARS-CoV-2 as “the virus that causes COVID-19.” So, @cduk_mugello it sounds like the flip of wha you describe, which I think technically makes @d0senbrot right BUT also explains why the media uses the term “COVID-19.” Also, with it’s reference to the year plus the fact there have been previous global SARS outbreak(s) COVID-19 is more specific and likely less confusing reference.

    1. @jmwalley Thanks for clarifying.

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