George Russell, Williams, Imola, 2020

Covid-19 cases lead to personnel changes at Williams for Turkish GP

2020 Turkish Grand Prix

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Williams will bring some of its factory-based staff to next week’s Turkish Grand Prix in place of others who are isolating in response to positive Covid-19 tests.

The team confirmed it had “a number of positive Covid-19 cases” during the last two rounds of the championship at the Autodromo do Algarve and Imola.

The team has not released details of the cases. However last week it confirmed George Russell’s coach Aleix Casanovas had gone into isolation with possible Covid-19 symptoms.

Williams said all the positive cases of Covid-19 it had identified were handled in line with the FIA’s Covid-19 regulations. Yesterday the sport’s governing body announced 1,781 Covid-19 tests had been performed over the preceding week, and eight positive cases identified.

“Williams can confirm that we have had a number of positive Covid-19 cases during the course of the Portuguese and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix,” said the team in a statement, “and whilst we will not be detailing any individual’s private information, we can confirm that all cases have been managed in line with the FIA Covid-19 guidelines, working with the FIA and with the ongoing safety of our people a priority.

“In order to ensure we follow these guidelines; several members of our trackside team are also isolating as a result of being identified as close contacts of these positive cases.

“As per our internal Covid-19 protocols, a number of factory-based team members will therefore fulfil these roles for the upcoming Turkish Grand Prix weekend. We ask for understanding that we will not be adding any additional information on this subject, but we would like to extend our thanks to all our traveling and factory based team members and their families, for their continued work and support during what is an extremely challenging time.”

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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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5 comments on “Covid-19 cases lead to personnel changes at Williams for Turkish GP”

  1. With the UK in lockdown, I’d have thought F1 and it’s factory staff would have been considered non essential and required to stay home.

    If that’s the case then surely all the UK based teams are going to struggle to prepare parts and cars, as well as team members able to attend races.

    1. Perhaps they are getting round it by saying they “have to travel for work as they can’t work from home”?

      1. They fall under the elite sports exemption

      2. Stephen Dennison
        8th November 2020, 12:00

        Yep, pretty sure travelling is OK for work.

  2. @dbradock They were in lockdown #1, but all factories have been given an exemption for lockdown #2, as test-and-trace here has found they are at low risk of transmission compared to other work activities, and also enable many other exempted businesses and activities to keep going (including elite sport).

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