Relaxed Covid testing regime at F1 grands prix "not a player" - Ferrari
Relaxed Covid testing regime at F1 grands prix "not a player" - Ferrari
Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies is adamant Formula 1 is not playing a dangerous game by relaxing on-site Covid-19 testing from every two days to five.
It had long been suggested that for safeguarding the 800 staff across the 10 F1 teams that will be attending grands prix, and for the hundreds of others present, including those from the FIA, circuit personnel and marshals, that testing would take place every two days.
It has since been decided, however, testing will now be done every five days. Cynically, it could be suggested that F1 and the FIA are attempting to avoid announcing a positive test during a race weekend.
But speaking during a video conference with selected media, including GPFans, Mekies said: "No, it's very far from that. There will be tests during the grand prix weekend if anybody has symptoms.
"Having followed as a team all these iterations, there have been 20 versions of our procedures, and because it's a fast-changing environment, and in trying to find the right compromise, we think we are operating well above any national or employment law with the procedures that been set out by the FIA and F1.
"Yes, we did talk about testing every two days at some stage, but it's been relaxed to five days. I think you will see other iterations of the protocol in the coming weeks, I hope in the same direction of relaxing some of these things.
"But if you look at the big picture, we are operating in such a long way to being as safe as possible, that the change between two and five days is not a player."
Mekies has confirmed other procedures will be strict, primarily involving the 'bubbles-within-bubbles' concept.
"The Formula 1 paddock will be a bubble in such a way that the same restrictions, the same procedures will be applied to everybody that turns up there," added Mekies.
"Inside the bubble of the Formula 1 paddock will be an individual bubble for each team with pretty much no, or minimum interactions between one team and another. So you will not see people from a team having a casual chat with people from another team.
"And inside the team bubble there will be more bubbles - the car 16 bubble [Charles Leclerc] and the car 5 bubble [Sebastian Vettel] - and inside them engineers and mechanics and so on and so so forth.
"Why? In order to be as resilient as possible if there is, unfortunately, a positive case to ensure the number of people that came into contact with that individual is as minimal as possible."
Other measures include a pre-departure health screening, with a doctor's certificate required to prove a person is fit to attend, a PCR test less than four days prior to departure, daily temperature checks on arrival at the paddock, compulsory use of masks as is practicably possible, and the use of a tracing app.
Before you go...
Carey contributes $1 million to new F1 diversity foundation
Red Bull take to the track for a Silverstone filming day
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Chinese Grand Prix Sprint 2024 results: Hamilton gets best result of year as Ferraris CLASH
- 1 hour ago
F1 News Today: FIA investigate F1 star as Ferraris clash at Chinese GP
- 47 minutes ago
F1 Chinese Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today from Shanghai
- 2 hours ago
Hamilton dealt China blow after major FIA decision as Ricciardo given huge Horner warning - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
F1 team unveil star-studded lineup in China
- Yesterday 23:12
F1 Qualifying Today: Chinese Grand Prix 2024 start times, schedule and TV
- Yesterday 22:27
Related news
Hamilton to open Wolff talks at Mercedes amid Ferrari F1 move uncertainty
Hamilton WARNED by Ferrari chief over performance levels
Brundle issues WARNING to 'under pressure' Ferrari star
F1 pundit says SHOCK team have ‘broken the back’ of rivals
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860