The 2020 Formula One World Championship continues this weekend with round four, the British Grand Prix, taking place at the Silverstone Circuit.
Ahead of the race, Racing Point's Sergio Perez said Friday he has contracted the Covid-19 coronavirus. He briefly traveled to Mexico to visit his mother who was recovering after a major accident, and tested positive on his return to the United Kingdom. He isn't showing any symptoms but will need to self-isolate for 10 days, per U.K. health authority guidelines.
Nico Hulkenberg, who raced with Racing Point back when it was Force India, will fill in for Perez during his absence. Hulkenberg left Force India to join Renault but was dropped from the team at the end of 2019.
This year is a big year for Silverstone. It was where the very first F1 race was held back in 1950, and to celebrate the 70th anniversary this year there will be a special 70th Anniversary Grand Prix held here next weekend.
Silverstone's layout has seen constant revision since the inaugural race, with the most significant change coming in 2010 when the old perimeter layout was altered to create a new infield section. The current 3.66-mile layout consists of sweeping, high-speed corners and fast straights, making it one of the quickest laps on the calendar and a popular place for drivers.
Silverstone Circuit, home of the Formula One British Grand Prix
Because of all the high-speed corners, not to mention a highly abrasive surface, the tires also get a thorough workout. Pirelli has nominated its C1, C2 and C3 compounds for the weekend.
The weather can be quite changeable in this part of the U.K. Looking at the weather forecast, we should be in for fine conditions for both Saturday's qualifying and Sunday's race.
During some early practice on Friday, Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen was fastest. Mercedes-AMG's Lewis Hamilton had a new MGU-K fitted to his car as a precautionary move, but he won't suffer any penalty as he is still within his allowance for the season.
Going into the weekend, Hamilton leads the 2020 Drivers' Championship with 63 points. His teammate Valtteri Bottas is second with 58 points and Verstappen is third with 33 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Mercedes leads with 121 points versus the 55 points of Red Bull and 41 points of McLaren. McLaren's cars this weekend will feature the logos of new sponsor Gulf Oil.
Last year's winner of the British Grand Prix was Hamilton driving for Mercedes.
