SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) — Formula One’s Williams Racing says Jack Aitken will race in this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix with Nicholas Latifi.
The 25-year-old Aitken takes the place of the team’s regular driver George Russell. The team has released Russell to drive for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team in Bahrain with Lewis Hamilton unable to race due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Seven-time Formula One champion Hamilton was tested three times last week and returned a negative result each time, the last on Sunday afternoon at the Bahrain International Circuit.
But Hamilton woke up Monday morning with mild symptoms and was then informed that a contact prior to arrival in Bahrain had subsequently tested positive, his Mercedes team said Tuesday. This led to a subsequent test returning a positive result, and Hamilton says he has gone into self-isolation for 10 days.