No decision on Vettel’s return until Friday – Aston Martin

2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

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Aston Martin will wait until the first day of practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix before confirming whether Sebastian Vettel will return.

The four-times world champion tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix which prevented him from taking part in the season-opener. Nico Hulkenberg substituted for him, finishing 17th and last of all drivers running at the chequered flag.

On the morning before practice is due to start at Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the second round of the world championship, Aston Martin confirmed Vettel is yet to return a negative test which would allow him to take part in the event.

“Sebastian Vettel has not yet returned the required negative Covid test to fly to the Saudi Arabia GP,” said the team in a statement. “Nico Hülkenberg will be in Jeddah to deputise for Seb if necessary.

“We will delay our final decision until Friday to provide Seb every opportunity to race.”

Should Vettel be unable to participate, he will become the second driver to miss multiple grands prix due to being positive for the virus. Kimi Raikkonen missed both the Dutch and Italian Grands Prix last season after the Alfa Romeo driver tested positive prior to the race at Zandvoort. He was replaced by Robert Kubica for both rounds.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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10 comments on “No decision on Vettel’s return until Friday – Aston Martin”

  1. He has to be on trackside today regardless.

  2. This is going to really hurt his WDC push

  3. Not just Vetel and Kimi, Perez missed two races in 2020. Can’t be a great feelign for them.

    1. Yes, I would mention Perez too

  4. Seeing where they were on the pecking order, i’m sure he’s in no rush…

  5. WHO guideline tell us not to test again after 10 days tested negative because remains of inactivated virus can still detected by PCR test. The result mostly false positive. So Vettel pick the wrong time to get covid because it haven’t been 10 days but also it didn’t matter because Saudi didn’t applied that WH guideline, they will still asked him to have negative result to enter the country.

  6. Only a speculation; He isn’t willing to race in states with human rights problems, Aston Martin doesn’t want to admit it externally because they sell a lot of cars around this part of the world. He didn’t have covid pre-test season and tested positive on in Abu Dhabi and somehow flew back home to Switzerland instead of isolating yea sure….

    1. Meh, I think any kind of virtue signaling would be done in the open, not hidden behind a covid test.

      Vettel is not afraid to speak his minds on human rights issues, he has done so in the past, even last year, etc. He is now stuck with having to test negative, and that can take awhile.

    2. someone or something
      24th March 2022, 13:04

      That theory is the cerebral equivalence of a flatulence.

  7. As has been mentioned a number of times. Message for The Hulk …. keep training.

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