Carlos Sainz has revealed he tested negative for the Covid-19 coronavirus upon his return home from Australia.
The Spaniard was required to be tested after a McLaren team member was found positive last Thursday in Melbourne, triggering the cancellation of the Grand Prix early on Friday morning.
A further 14 McLaren personnel have remained in a two-week quarantine in Australia, while Sainz too is also in self-isolation back home for the same period as a precaution.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, he wrote: “After what happened in Australia I needed to do the COVID-19 test.
“I am very happy because the results are negative. In reality, it won’t change much, because I will continue in quarantine.”
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On Monday, McLaren also confirmed the team member who had tested positive was recovering and no longer showed symptoms of Covid-19.
Unfortunately, however, a second positive coronavirus case has been confirmed during F1’s trip Down Under, this time at Pirelli.
“A member of the Pirelli F1 team has yesterday tested positive for Covid-19 in Melbourne,” the tyre supplier said in a statement. “The person concerned is now following all the relevant procedures put in place by the Australian health authorities.
“These authorities have confirmed to Pirelli that this person has not had any contact with third parties that requires special preventive measures to be taken for other people.
“Pirelli is closely monitoring the situation in line with public health policies and company guidelines.”
It is understood most teams have told those employees who travelled to Australia to undergo the two weeks of self-isolation as a precaution.
Meanwhile, Ferrari has also had to shut down their operation in Italy, due to the large outbreak of cases in the country.