Norris targets golf course when quarantine’s over
WEST Country driver Lando Norris has vowed to hit the golf course when his quarantine concludes following last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
Norris, 21, now in his third season on the Formula One grid, delivered an impressive display to finish fourth and beat his new McLaren teammate Daniel Ricciardo at the season opener.
But after landing back from the Gulf Kingdom, Norris will have to complete the remainder of the week in isolation.
Unlike last year, F1 drivers and the sport’s travelling staff are not exempt from quarantine. However, under government rules, Norris is permitted to visit McLaren’s Woking HQ and is also allowed to train outside during his isolation period.
His spell in quarantine will conclude on the proviso of a negative Covid-19 test, taken on the fifth day of his return to the UK.
Norris said: “I have got five or six days to wait and then I will be out on the golf course losing balls again.
“I don’t mind the quarantine because I like staying in, I am that kind of guy. I don’t feel like I will miss out on a lot because I am in a privileged position to do a lot of things.
“I can still go to McLaren and work. I can stay at home, go for a run, train and play online with my mates or play on my simulator so that’s a lot more than others. I am not complaining, but the sooner I can go and play golf with my friends, the better.”
Norris qualified seventh, one place behind Ricciardo, but enjoyed a strong start, passing his new teammate and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the opening stages.
Ricciardo finished seventh, although McLaren revealed on Tuesday that the seven-time grand prix winner sustained damage in an early altercation with AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly. Norris added: “It is a good start, particularly passing Daniel on lap one, but it is just going to be ‘you lose some and win some’.
“I don’t want to say I look great because the two of us are very close at the moment and he could have the upper hand on me at the next race. It is going to swing both ways.
“He is a very competitive guy, he is very fast as he proved in qualifying, and I am sure we are going to have some close battles. I don’t want to be over the top and say I outdid him.”
Formula One has revealed there were 12 positive Covid-19 cases at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
More than 8,000 tests were carried out over a seven-day period for the opening round of the new season.
A statement read: “The FIA and
Formula One can today confirm that at the Bahrain Grand Prix, between Monday 22nd March and Sunday 28th March, 8,150 tests for Covid-19 were performed on drivers, teams and personnel. Of these, 12 people tested positive. The FIA and Formula One are providing this aggregated information from each Grand Prix for the purposes of competition integrity and transparency.”
British team Aston Martin confirmed two Covid-19 cases in Bahrain, while a member of Channel 4’s travelling broadcasting crew also tested positive during a mandatory test upon their arrival in the Gulf Kingdom.
F1 bosses are hopeful of staging a record-breaking 23 rounds this year, with the next race scheduled for Imola on April 18.