F1 2020

Story from 11th October Stroll decided he wouldn't drive in practice 30 minutes before session · RaceFans - Stroll had had flu symptoms since Russia!

Racing Point’s last-minute rush to replace Lance Stroll for this weekend was triggered by the driver half an hour before the final practice session began.


The team’s CEO Otmar Szafnauer said Stroll has been unwell since the last round of the championship, but repeated tests have shown he does not have Covid-19. He decided not to take part in final practice at the Nurburgring today and was replaced by Nico Hulkenberg ahead of qualifying for the race.


“The pre-event test was Tuesday,” said Szafnauer. “We got the results on Wednesday. He hasn’t been tested since. We’re following the FIA protocol. The next test was either Sunday or Monday.”

“He hasn’t been feeling great since Russia,” Szafnauer added. “Since we left Russia he hasn’t been that great, I think he had a bit of a cold.

“At first we thought well, we were in Russia, we better get tested for the virus. We’ve tested him multiple times, including the pre-event test for this race. He’s come back negative three, four times. He doesn’t have the classic Covid-19 symptoms. He just doesn’t feel well in himself.”

Stroll has suffered “flu-like symptoms” and “couldn’t exercise” since the last race. He experienced further prolonged discomfort as a result of his symptoms yesterday. “I don’t know if it’s something he ate or if it’s a tummy bug or what but he just said I’m not feeling up to it,” said Szafnauer.

The team took into consideration the fact there are two race back-to-back after this weekend’s round.

“I talked to him as said ‘we’re going to have a double-header coming up soon’. He said he’d rather rest and get ready for that. So it was a late call – we were hoping that he was going to get better.”

Stroll took the decision not to participate in final practice just in time for the team to arrange a replacement for qualifying, said Szafnauer.

“[He told us] 30 minutes before FP3. He was still thinking ‘I want to do this’. But then he thought if I don’t get better then I’ve got to qualify, then I’ve got to race, and it’s the race that he really wasn’t looking forward to in the state he was in.

“Otherwise, had it been yesterday, we’d’ve have called Hulkenberg a day earlier and he would have done FP3.”
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Mind you, "I'm not feeling up to it" is the most honest thing Lance Stroll has ever said when asked to drive an F1 car.
errant said:
i think that's the only odd thing i find about it - especially as they went to the effort to deny covid at the time with him having this Saturday morning toilet story. RP have been unlucky that both their drivers came down with it.
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Unlucky that both drivers have managed to get COVID? It may be coincidence, it may not. Plus Perez got it after deciding to fly to a COVID hotspot 5,000 miles away rather than going to work!
 
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Beau Peep said:
Mind you, "I'm not feeling up to it" is the most honest thing Lance Stroll has ever said when asked to drive an F1 car.
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seems from that, as if they were trying to hedge their bets and possibly left it a bit too late to make the final call? i guess without either a positive test and definitive symptoms it was a difficult one to judge?
 
errant said:
it just seems a bit hush hush. im not entirely sure where in the time line he is with this - if he's clear to race it would suggest that they can trace it back to the nurburgring though. to their credit, f1 has been pretty tight on their covid policy within the paddock so im sure if they let him in then he's safe...

i wonder where the hulk is drinking his coffee this weekend?
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I bet that Porsche of his is currently parked outside a roadside cafe in the Pyrenees
errant said:
seems from that, as if they were trying to hedge their bets and possibly left it a bit too late to make the final call? i guess without either a positive test and definitive symptoms it was a difficult one to judge?
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Several negative tests, you'd expect something like that to clear up, but they left it too late yeah. Surprised they didn't call Hulk in sooner just in case since Stroll had been ill for almost two weeks!
What is this supposed loophole? I don't believe he had the shits for one minute.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1318827896631402496
Really interesting set of comments on that tweet too
 
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Beau Peep said:
Really interesting set of comments on that tweet too
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i get the feeling the odd way they released this news, has fuelled peoples sceptiscm of when and where he got covid. i guess the driver, once in the garage is the pivot of the bubble for everyone on that side, would be disappointed if they did sit on it just so they could run a 2nd car... it seems a bit too much for me mind, the risk that they could take out a bank of technicians seems a bit too much for me?
 
errant said:
Just looking at this aerial shot, looks like plenty of kitty litter at this track?


Seems to have been some debate that it should be used more liberally (spa track improvements have it back) to curb track limit excursions...not sure myself, with only 20 cars it seems a bit shit back when someone was out the race because they were beached...
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Not a lot of overtaking opportunities
 
errant said:
Just looking at this aerial shot, looks like plenty of kitty litter at this track?


Seems to have been some debate that it should be used more liberally (spa track improvements have it back) to curb track limit excursions...not sure myself, with only 20 cars it seems a bit shit back when someone was out the race because they were beached...
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I have no issue with gravel traps, but if they have to have tarmac run offs, there should be mandatory return lanes.
 
errant said:
Just looking at this aerial shot, looks like plenty of kitty litter at this track?


Seems to have been some debate that it should be used more liberally (spa track improvements have it back) to curb track limit excursions...not sure myself, with only 20 cars it seems a bit shit back when someone was out the race because they were beached...
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First corner looks canny tight...could be a bit messy with these size cars. (If that is the first corner I’m looking at!)
 
errant said:
First corner is bottom right of the phoTo...

Apparently it’s got decent gradient changes but I can’t make that out from the overhead.
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Goes up and down like a rollercoaster. On board footage never gives a true rep of gradients, they are usually far more extreme than you see on a 2D broadcasts
 
World Superbikes race here I think for a while - perhaps the kitty litter and run offs have been designed as bikes and cars crash differently
 

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