Formula 1: Lando Norris tests positive for COVID-19
By Asher Fair
McLaren’s Lando Norris became the fourth active Formula 1 driver to test positive for COVID-19, he announced Tuesday on Twitter.
McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris announced on Tuesday that he had tested positive for COVID-19.
He became the fourth active driver to return a positive test since the pandemic began and since the 2020 season finally got underway in early July.
The 20-year-old Briton made the announcement on Twitter, noting that he has lost his sense of taste and smell but otherwise feels fine.
— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) January 5, 2021
Former Racing Point driver Sergio Perez tested positive in July and teammate Lance Stroll tested positive in October. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton tested positive in December.
Fortunately for Norris, he will not miss any races due to his positive test coming in the offseason.
All three of the others were forced to miss time, although Stroll’s positive test wasn’t returned until after he had already missed an event.
Perez missed both races at Silverstone Circuit while Stroll missed the race at the Nurburgring. Hamilton saw his record streak of 265 consecutive starts end by missing the race at the Bahrain International Circuit outer layout.
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Norris ended the 2020 season in ninth place in the driver standings, bettering his 11th place finish from his rookie season in 2019. From 2019 to 2020, he improved his average starting position from 9.4 to 8.5 and his average finishing position from 11.4 to 8.3.
He secured his first career podium finish, a third place finish, in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, doing so with the race’s fastest lap on the final lap to take advantage of a five-second time penalty that had been awarded to Hamilton for avoidable contact with Red Bull’s Alexander Albon.
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While the 2021 season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 21 with the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, it is unlikely that this race will take place as planned as a result of pandemic-related restrictions. Bahrain International Circuit is expected to open up the season on Sunday, March 28 with the Bahrain Grand Prix.