Stroll says Eifel withdrawal was due to Covid-19 but he’s ready to race

Lance Stroll confirmed on Wednesday that he missed the Eifel Grand Prix earlier this month with Covid-19 but said he would be fit to race in Portugal on Sunday.

The Canadian, who drives for Racing Point, posted a long tweet explaining what happened when he suddenly pulled out on the Saturday morning before the race in Germany.

“I arrived at the Nurburgring after testing negative in the normal pre-race tests,” he wrote. “But on Saturday morning I started to feel unwell and woke up with an upset stomach.”

He said he self-isolated in his motorhome, avoided the paddock, flew home on Sunday morning and took a test that evening which came back positive the next day.

Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg, called while sitting in a cafe in Cologne on Saturday morning, took over the car, was slowest in qualifying but climbed through the field in the race to finish eighth.

It was the second time the German had acted as a late coronavirus replacement at Racing Point. He drove the two Silverstone races in early August after Mexican driver Sergio Perez tested positive for Covid-19 test.

Stroll said in his tweet that he had self-isolated at home for 10 days.

“Luckily, my symptoms were pretty mild.” he wrote. 

“I tested again on Monday,” he wrote. “My results were negative.

“I feel in great shape and can’t wait to be back with the team and to race in Portugal.”