Mazepin ruled out of F1 season finale with COVID
Nikita Mazepin will miss the Formula 1 season finale after testing positive for COVID-19
Nikita Mazepin will miss the Formula 1 season finale after testing positive for COVID-19.
The Haas rookie was set to start the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last on the grid.
Haas says Mazepin has been asymptomatic and is “physically well” but now must self-isolate and adhere to local medical guidelines.
As he is being withdrawn after qualifying, Haas cannot replace him. So the final round of the 2021 season will be contested by 19 drivers.
Earlier this weekend, F1 had launched a promotion featuring the drivers urging people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, as the effort to end the pandemic has been complicated by the rise of the Omicron variant.
Several drivers have now contracted the virus since the start of the pandemic.
The first was Sergio Perez who missed two grands prix last year, and his Racing Point team-mate Lance Stroll tested positive later in the season and had to withdrawn from the Eifel Grand Prix.
World champion Lewis Hamilton then missed the penultimate round at Sakhir.
This season, Kimi Raikkonen withdrew from the Dutch Grand Prix and was ruled out of the Italian Grand Prix too.
Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris had also contracted the virus during the off-season.
