Formula 1 announced that the driver and medical delegate of the sport’s medical car have tested positive for Covid-19 and will miss the next race on the calendar, this weekend’s Turkish Grand Prix.
Driver Alan van der Merwe and Medical Delegate Ian Roberts were tested before the event and, therefore, did not go to Turkey and are currently self-isolating. They will be replaced by Driver Bruno Correia and Medical Delegate Dr. Bruno Franceschini, who crew the Formula E safety car.
The duo of van de Merwe and Roberts have been behind the wheel of Formula 1‘s medical car since 2009 and, as Jalopnik points out, that means they have started in 247 Grands Prix. Although when everything goes right, they should not be called upon, the duo has proven itself capable.
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They were first on the scene in 2020 when Romain Grosjean’s Haas erupted into flame following a harrowing first lap incident in Bahrain. With their help, the driver managed to escape and is back racing in IndyCar.
Roberts and van de Merwe are hardly the first members of the F1 community to contract the virus. Driver Kimi Räikkönen recently missed two Grands Prix as a result of Covid-19, though he is healthy again and competed in the series’ most recent race, the Russian Grand Prix.
Lando Norris, Zak Brown, Lewis Hamilton, and others have previously tested positive for the virus and were also required to self-isolate.
After the medical car crew members have completed their self-isolation, each member will need a negative Covid test before they can return to action for the United States Grand Prix later this month. We hope you’ll join us in wishing them a speedy recovery.
