Stroll convinced to pull out of Eifel GP by 'flu-like symptoms'

Racing Point team boss Otmar Szafnauer says "flu-like" symptoms convinced Lance Stroll to pull out of the Eifel GP weekend, but the Canadian has not displayed any signs of COVID-19.

Stroll had not been feeling well since the Russian GP at Sochi two ago, said Szafnauer. But multiple COVID-19 tests in the run-up to this weekend's round at the Nürburgring returned negative results.

"Since we left Russia he hasn’t been that great, I think he had a bit of a cold," commented the Racing Point team boss.

"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.

"And last night he had a bit of an upset stomach. So he was on the toilet the whole time. And he said, 'I've got rid of a lot of fluid, and I can't get off the toilet for long enough to get in the race car.'

"I don't know if it's something he ate, or if it's a tummy bug. He just said, 'I'm just not feeling up to it."

Drivers will enjoy another one-week break after the Eifel GP but will then head into a double-header at Portimão and Imola. All things considered, Stroll preferred to focus on getting fit for the string of upcoming races.

"I talked to him and said ‘we’re going to have a double-header coming up soon’," added Szafnauer. "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."

• Read also: Hulkenberg's Eifel call-up 'even wilder and crazier than last'

Stroll's pain was super-sub Nico Hulkenberg's gain for the third time this season.

Oddly, the German driver - acting as Racing Point's reserve since the British GP - wasn't on site at the Nürburgring on Saturday morning, a strange lack of risk management for a team that was previously hit by the coronavirus.

Hulkenberg will start Sunday's race P20, having completed 10 laps in qualifying.

"It was a huge ask, and we're just thankful that he got within 107% rule, that's what we wanted to do, so he could race tomorrow," said Szafnauer.

"He's got a decent race car underneath him. He's done a few laps now. And if he gets a good start, he's got a chance at points.

"We made some changes to the car since he drove it last. He was surprised by the changes that we made. He said the car felt different because of it. He's got to get used to it. Overall, he was happy the balance wasn't that far off."

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