F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Marko says Red Bull driver's girlfriend tested positive for COVID

Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko says a girlfriend of one of Red Bull's drivers recently tested positive for COVID-19.

Marko did not reveal the identity of the driver whose partner was infected or whether he belonged to either Red Bull Racing or AlphaTauri, but the Austrian wasn't happy with the situation claiming to have witnessed complacency at Sochi, with many people not wearing masks outside of the paddock.

"Outside of the paddock there were very few walking around wearing masks," Marko told Speedweek.

"We had a driver whose girlfriend was infected, and he wasn't infected. Another was at a party where three infected people were present, and that was also negative."

Haas' Romain Grosjean also complained of not feeling safe outside of the perimeters of the F1 paddock in Sochi, noting that few wore masks in and around his hotel.

The Russian Grand Prix was the first race of the season to welcome fans in its grandstands, with an estimated 30,000 people in attendance on race day.

Formula 1 confirmed last week that 10 members of the F1 community recently tested positive for COVID-19, but the cases were not linked to public presence in Sochi.

Since testing for the coronavirus was initiated by F1, just before the start of the 2020 season in Austria, approximately 50,000 COVID-19 tests have been conducted, from which just 26 positive cases were identified.

Racing Point's Sergio Perez has been the sport's highest profile case, the Mexican testing positive ahead of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and remaining in isolation for ten days without any symptoms.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Sebastian Montoya steps up to Formula 2 with Prema

Sebastian Montoya, the 19-year-old son of former Formula 1 star Juan Pablo Montoya, is set…

9 hours ago

Sauber finds its ‘Northern Star’ under Binotto’s leadership

When former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto took on the role of Chief Operating Officer…

10 hours ago

Leclerc hails a season ‘without missed opportunities' in 2024

Charles Leclerc concluded the 2024 F1 season with a sense of satisfaction, the Ferrari driver…

12 hours ago

Coulthard sounds alarm over FIA president’s rift with F1 drivers

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has voiced his dismay at FIA president Mohammed Ben…

13 hours ago

The rapid rise and fall of Super Aguri in F1

Super Aguri's application to join Formula 1 became a reality on this day in 2005,…

15 hours ago

Ferrari's 2024 Season: Marked improvement and a fight to the finish

Ferrari roared back into contention in 2024 to deliver their strongest season in years, thanks…

16 hours ago