Racing Point’s Sergio Perez has been forced to self-isolate after returning an “inconclusive” COVID-19 test on Thursday.
While such a result does not mean Perez has the coronavirus, Perez is nevertheless barred from the paddock under Formula 1’s strict bio-safety protocols, and has been made unavailable for Thursday’s press conference ahead of the British Grand Prix.
Now the Mexican awaits the result of a second test, which will determine whether Racing Point need to draft in a reserve driver, or clear the Mexican for action.
Should Perez test positive, that reserve would come from Mercedes, with whom Racing Point have a technical partnership and agreement to share reserve drivers.
That would mean either Mercedes’ Formula E driver Stoffel Vandoorne, or reserve and development driver Esteban Gutierrez would be in-line to replace Perez. Vandoorne last raced in F1 in 2018 with McLaren, while Gutierrez’s last outing was with Haas in 2016.