Motorsports
Vettel falls ill with coronavirus, replaced by Hulkenberg for Bahrain GP
Aston Martin F1 Zebastian Vettel, who has tested positive for Covid19, will miss the premiere of this year’s Formula One Championship and will be replaced by the team’s reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg.
After McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Zebastian Vettel tested positive for the coronavirus on the eve of this year’s Formula 1 race in Shakir, Bahrain.
Unlike the Australian, who has recovered and will play normally for the next three days, Vettel will lose the premiere and his place in the Aston Martin car will be taken by the team’s fairly experienced and fast reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg.
The German had a long tenure with the Silverstone team back when it was called Force India/Racing Point and this will be his fourth appearance in the last two years – and his first with Aston Martin. The “Hulk” had replaced Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll in the two Silverstone games in 2020 due to the illness of the Mexicans at the Nürburgring.
How Vettel got stuck
It cannot be ruled out that the spread of Covid-19 among the drivers was due to their meeting together the night before the Bahraini tests started for their joint photo shoot, which was supposed to send their anti-war message after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
With the Emirate of Bahrain imposing a seven-day quarantine on anyone who tests positive for Covid-19, Vettel has been unable to compete for the next three days – and his participation in next weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix could be at risk. However, there have been exceptions to this rule in the past and if Vettel’s tests are negative from next week he can travel to Jeddah.
Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.