McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown says he was shocked by his positive Covid-19 test earlier this week given how cautious he has always been to keep himself protected.
Brown and two other members of McLaren are in isolation after contracting the coronavirus, just ahead of this week's British Grand Prix.
In a video interview with Formula 1, the 49-year-old American said that he was feeling only mild symptoms but admitted to being frustrated by the positive test given his double-vaccination status.
“I feel fine, I guess on a scale of one to 10 I’ve got a ‘one’ sniffle and a bit of a head cold, is what it feels like," Brown said.
“I’ll get tested again tomorrow. We’re able to measure ‘have I peaked, am I still peaking’, but right now if someone hadn’t have told me I had tested positive I would be at work and headed to Silverstone.
©McLaren
“I feel fine and frustrated because I’ve been double vaccinated and ultra-careful for a year-and-a-half, but it’s just one of these that hits home when it gets you and you have no idea where you got it from.
“I was shocked because I’ve probably done now 150-175 tests and I’ve a stash of the lateral flow tests, so I self-test every morning just to be on the safe side.
"I’m a very cautious individual, so I was shocked at the call.”
Brown obviously won't be on site to follow his troops but he'll remotely interact with team boss Andreas Seidl over the weekend and will have access to a large part of the team's data.
“I’ve got my triple top secret laptop that will plug into the pit wall and the TV on, so it’s almost like I would be there,” he added.
“I just won’t be able to say ‘hi’ to the fans and be with the team and our sponsor partners. But as far as being engaged in the race, for sure.
“I wasn’t planning on going to Hungary – nothing to do with Hungary – but if I had the luxury of picking one to miss, this wouldn’t have been it.”
While he is sad to miss out on this weekend's event, Brown admitted that being deprived of the opportunity to take to the track on Saturday for some demo laps onboard Mario Andretti's championship winning Lotus 79 was the real bummer.
“Truth be known, that’s probably what I’m most upset about,” he commented. “I had to wave that off.
“Mario drove it at Goodwood last week and I was going to take part in the demonstration this weekend, so a little bit of salt in the wound if you like.”
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Formula 1 is gearing up for a new digital era in the United States –…
Carlos Sainz has lifted the lid on a private paddock conversation he enjoyed with Fernando…
Christian Horner has offered a revealing look back at his dramatic exit from Red Bull…
Alain Prost follows Niki Lauda by just two days on the February birthday calendar, the…
Sergio Perez’s Formula 1 comeback with Cadillac is already under the microscope – and he…
After pre-season testing in Bahrain gave F1’s drivers their first real taste of the sport’s…