Ferrari star Leclerc gets coronavirus
LONDON: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc announced on Thursday he had tested positive for Covid-19 and was self-isolating at home in Monaco with mild symptoms.
The 23-year-old said he was feeling okay.
“I am regularly checked according to my team’s protocols. Unfortunately, I learned that I have been in contact with a positive case and immediately went into self-isolation, notifying anyone I had contact with,” he said on Instagram.
“A subsequent test I took has come back positive. I will remain in isolation in my home in Monaco in compliance with the regulations set by the local health authorities.”
Leclerc did not say where he might have contracted the virus but was in Dubai earlier this month.
He is the fifth Formula One driver known to have tested positive for Covid19 after Mexican Sergio Perez, Canadian Lance Stroll, Britain’s seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris.
McLaren’s Norris was the most recent, testing positive while on holiday in Dubai earlier this month before a winter training camp.
Leclerc finished eighth overall last season as Ferrari endured their worst campaign in 40 years.
He is joined this year by Spaniard Carlos Sainz from McLaren in place of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who is now at Aston Martin.
The 2021 Formula One season is due to start in Bahrain on March 28 after the usual Australian opener was postponed until November due to the pandemic.
The Chinese GP was also shelved with no new date for that race yet scheduled.
The Australian and Chinese GPs were both cancelled last year.