Sergio Perez out of 70th Anniversary Grand Prix after positive Covid-19 test

Sergio Perez has been ruled out of the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix after returning a positive Covid-19 test result.

On Thursday, Perez, the first Formula One driver to go down with coronavirus, was given the green light by Public Health England to race at Silverstone after serving seven days in quarantine.

But ahead of practice, his Racing Point team confirmed his latest test was positive. The 30-year-old will be replaced again by German Nico Hulkenberg.

Racing Point described Perez, who contracted the virus after visiting his mother in Mexico following last month’s Hungarian Grand Prix, as “physically well and recovering”.

Hulkenberg deputised for Perez last weekend and qualified 13th. But he failed to start the race following a technical failure.

“I’m excited to get going again with the team at Silverstone,” said Hulkenberg, 32, who used to compete for Racing Point in its former guise as Force India.

“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 am ready to apply my experiences to this weekend. 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.

Racing point team principal Otmar Szafnauer added: “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.”