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Tag: Sergio Pérez

  • Perez to miss British Grand Prix following positive COVID-19 test result

    Perez to miss British Grand Prix following positive COVID-19 test result

    Sergio Perez will not compete in the upcoming British Grand Prix, scheduled on August 2, after testing positive for COVID-19 symptoms.

    Perez, a native from Guadalajara, Mexico, who currently races for the BWT Racing Point F1 team and is ranked sixth in the standings following the first three Formula One races of 2020, was confirmed to have tested positive for the virus after isolating from the circuit earlier on Thursday following an inconclusive test.

    This marks the first time where a Formula One driver has tested positive for the COVID-19 disease, a disease that delayed the start of this year’s F1 season from March to July and has postponed or cancelled multiple events scheduled for this season.

    A statement was issued by Formula One and the FIA following Perez’s test.

    “Perez has entered self-quarantine in accordance with the instructions of the relevant public health authorities, and will continue to follow the procedure mandated by those authorities. With assistance of the local organiser of the British Grand Prix, local health authorities and the FIA COVID-19 delegate, a full track and trace initiative has been undertaken and all close contacts have been quarantined.”

    Like many professional sports, Formula One is utilizing a strict COVID-19 testing regime towards the competitors and traveling team members prior to an event as part of the safety protocols put in place when the F1 season proceeded.

    Racing Point noted that Perez is in “good spirits and is physically well” and that a group of team members that were in contact with Perez were self-isolating and being re-tested as a precaution. The team intends to run two cars for this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit and the team will announce its full driver lineup for the event in the coming days.

  • Lewis Hamilton Takes the Gold in Sochi

    Lewis Hamilton Takes the Gold in Sochi

    The world championship all but belongs to Lewis Hamilton after scoring the victory in Russia.

    The driver of the No. 44 Mercedes AMG Petronas car capitalized on the mechanical failure of teammate and pole sitter Nico Rosberg to score his 42nd career win in Formula 1. It moves him past his hero Ayrton Senna and ties him for third on the all-time wins list with Sebastian Vettel. Speaking of which, the driver of the No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari car finished runner-up. Last-lap mayhem allowed Sergio Pérez to take his Sahara Force India-Mercedes to his fifth career podium finish.

    Williams-Mercedes Felipe Massa and Red Bull-Renault’s Daniil Kvyat rounded out the top-five.

    Felipe Nasr, Pastor Maldonado, Kimi Räikkönen, Jenson Button and Max Verstappen rounded out the top-10. Fernando Alonso, who originally finished 10th, was handed a five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits and was demoted to 11th. It cost McLaren-Honda their second double points finish of the season.

    This was one of the more bizarre races I’ve seen this season. It started on the first lap with a collision in Turn 2 involving the other Sahara Force India of Nico Hülkenburg and Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson. It forced the deployment of the safety car.

    On lap six, Rosberg retired from the race with a broken throttle. With Hamilton winning the race, it all but ends the title hopes for the German driver.

    A few laps later, Romain Grosjean got loose in Turn 3, overcorrected and slammed the wall. It forced the safety car to come out a second time.

    Another unusual note is that the super-soft Pirelli tires, which are supposed to wear out at a significant rate, lasted more than half the race for some of the lead cars. To put it another way, as NBC’s Will Buxton did, “this’ll send the OCD fans into a tizzy.”

    In the closing laps of the race, Martinsville broke loose. Carlos Sainz Jr., who was running in the top-10, had a brake failure and spun out in the same part of the track where he had a heavy wreck the day before. A piece of his wing fell on the track and required a marshall to retrieve it. Someone wasn’t paying attention to the location of oncoming cars because he about got hit by Sebastian Vettel. Daniel Ricciardo was running fifth when he had engine issues in the closing laps and retired from the race.

    It was the battle for the final podium step on the final lap that will stand out the most. Rounding turn 4, Kimi Räikkönen made contact with Valtteri Bottas and sent him into the wall. This allowed Sergio Pérez to take the final podium step. After the race, Räikkönen was handed a 30 second time penalty, moving him down to eighth. This gave Mercedes the Constructors’ Championship.

    After all was said and done. Lewis Hamilton left as the points leader. Sebastian Vettel moved past Nico Rosberg for second in the points.

    There is a chance Hamilton can clinch the drivers championship in two weeks at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. That race will be Sunday, Oct. 25 at 2:30 p.m. on NBC.