Formula 1 championship leader Lewis Hamilton has revealed his concern after a member of the Mercedes team returned a positive test for COVID-19.
All members of the F1 paddock are tested regularly, with an individual from the Mercedes squad now in isolation.
Details on the individual and their role within the operation have not been revealed, nor if they came into contact with colleagues.
Heading into the Eifel Grand Prix this weekend, which could see him equal Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 grand prix wins, Hamilton spoke about the development.
“Naturally, it’s sad to hear that, for the guys that work so hard,” he said.
“We’ve had this week in-between, and those guys work so hard to stay safe and to be here on the weekends.
“So it’s definitely a concern.
“I can’t say what it’s going to do to the weekend,” he added.
“We have a lot of great people within our team, it’s not just about one person.
“We’ll try and make him proud this weekend, and it’s just going to take a different type of work, a lot of work, to make sure that we continue on without any disturbances.”
Mercedes has won eight of the 10 events this year, Hamilton contributing six and Valtteri Bottas two.
Without details on what role the individual played within the team it’s possible their absence could impact one, the other, or both cars.
It’s also unclear how the team has restructured or back-filled the individual.
Track activity for this weekend’s Eifel Grand Prix at the Nurburgring begins at 20:00 AEDT this evening.
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