F1 records zero positive coronavirus results from 4,032 tests at Austrian Grand Prix

Formula One’s return at the Red Bull Ring is being carried out under strict safety protocols with all drivers, staff and personnel required to undergo a Covid-19 test every five days

Formula One has had no positive coronavirus results at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.

Organisers confirmed on Saturday that zero positive results were recorded from more than 4,000 tests on drivers, team staff and personnel who are at the Red Bull Ring, having carried out the tests through the week since Friday 26 June.

An F1 statement read: "The FIA and Formula 1 can today confirm that between Friday 26th June and Thursday 2nd July, 4,032 drivers, teams and personnel were tested for Covid-19," said a joint statement.

"Of these, zero people have tested positive."

The Spielberg-based circuit will kick off the 2020 season this weekend ahead of staging a second race next week in the form of the Styrian Grand Prix, named after the region where the Red Bull-owned circuit is based.

As a result, conditions have been managed to ensure that strict safety protocols can be maintained, with all personnel in the paddock required to wear a mask at all times and teams deployed in ‘bubbles’ within the garage to avoid unnecessary interaction with others.

The news that not a single positive test has been recorded is a major boost to the sport’s restart, with the plan to head from Austria to Hungary in two weeks’ time for the third round of the season. Following a week off at the end of the month, the season then returns to Britain for two back-to-back races at Silverstone.

Friday’s practice session saw a very different F1 get underway, with no fans in attendance and drivers maintaining a distance from their engineers and media throughout the day.

Strict protocols have been implemented for the restart of racing, with teams being tested prior to flying out from their respective countries and personnel attending the circuit undergoing a test every five days, while there are daily temperature checks prior to entering the facility.

In the build-up, team personnel have also been kept in bubbles, away from other teams and even away from colleagues in different departments.