Hulkenberg to stand in for Perez at 70th Anniversary GP

London, Aug 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) Racing Point on Friday confirmed that Nico Hulkenberg will continue to drive alongside Lance Stroll in this weekends 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone as a stand-in for regular driver Sergio Perez who has returned a positive result for COVID-19.

On Thursday, Racing Point had said Perez had completed his seven-day period of self-isolation and would be tested to see if he could return to the cockpit after missing the British Grand Prix. However, on Friday morning, two hours ahead of first practice, the team said Perez had tested positive again and as a result "he will continue to follow the guidance of Public Health England".

The team added that "he is physically well and recovering".

"I'm excited to get going again with the team at Silverstone. Last weekend, it was a real step into the unknown having been away from the team for a few years - and driving a car I'd never driven before. I've learned a lot in the last week about the RP20, and I am ready to apply my experiences to this weekend," said Hulkenberg.

"Racing at the same track again makes things a bit easier and the team has done a great job in helping me get up to speed. I think we can fight for points this weekend, which is definitely my goal. I also want to wish Checo all the best in his recovery," he added.

Hulkenberg, who competed for the team last weekend after eight months out of the cockpit, had failed to take the start because of an engine issue.

Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer said: "Nico did a really strong job last weekend after receiving a last-minute call to drive for us at Silverstone, and he proved why he was an obvious choice to stand in for Checo.

"It was a big shame he couldn't actually take the start of the race last Sunday, but all that hard work will prove very useful for this weekend. We miss having Checo with us, but we wish him well and look forward to welcoming him back into the team in the near future."

Source: IANS