Bojan Vrbnjak
Otmar Szafnauer is the habit of crisis press conferences. The team leader Racing Point he knows this from the times when the team was still called Force India and he knew well what it was like to be nailed to a pillar. When it's Saffron hurried to a video conference with reporters this morning, he certainly remembered the days gone by.
Lance stroll is on a social network Instagram explained that his test was on the Sunday after the race Eifel Grand Prix positive. Kadančan had to skip the racing weekend at Nürburgring (Saturday and Sunday - Friday dropped out) due to stomach problems. But Stroll he did not pass the test in the paddock, but only when he was at home in Switzerlandwhere he arrived late Saturday afternoon. The matter is particularly piquant because his father was also positive on Sunday night. Already during the racing weekend, rumors were circulating that he was supposed to Lawrence stroll contracted coronavirus.
Team boss Saffron he denied all allegations at a news conference. “We do more tests here than in any other company. An outside consultant who is also active in other business areas told us that we test 10 times more than everyone else.“The team has more than that behind them 15.000 tests. Why didn't the team order on-site testing when Stroll was it not good? “He has had these symptoms since Russia and has been tested several times in the meantime,”He defends Saffron. Stroll’s personal physician in Switzerland did not order a new test. “And I can understand how we can come to that conclusion.”A test before the racing weekend prescribed by the side FIA and was negative, not performed by a personal physician but by an official test laboratory Eurofins. Just like the whole team it is Stroll passed the test at Silverstone.
FIA is in response to this case again tightened its guidelines. All contributors entering paddock, must now also be tested on in the endbefore they can start work. So far, the test was in effect before the start of the racing weekend, as long as inside 96 ur no new test followed. Saffron believes that there was no risk to the remaining members of the team at any time. “Lance isolated himself and had no contact with team members. All of them were re-tested on the way home - as always - and all had a negative result. The three members of the team, working closely with Lance, however, isolated themselves under existing county laws."
Also father and team owner Lawrence stroll is supposed to be tested regularly, although the Canadian billionaire races in Russia in Germany was not present. Stroll the elder was on a weekend visit to Aston Martin, where it has a 25% share, and was still negative on the test on Thursday. “He was tested again on Sunday night and tested positive, even though he and his son were not together," so Saffron, which therefore prohibits allegations that they did not handle the situation properly. “If we hadn’t done the test on Sunday - which isn’t prescribed - we wouldn’t even know Lance has coronavirus."
Saffron further points out that from this case does not intend to draw any teaching. "We do a lot anyway. The new FIA rule to test again on the spot, however, is a good one." Although it is Lance stroll meanwhile again negative for the virus, it is Racing Point take precautionary measures. Nico Hulkenberg, who replaced Stroll at the Nürburgring and Perez at Silverstone, was called to Portugal. "Meanwhile, other teams also want to have a reserve racer on the scene,”He explains Saffron.
