George Russell To Return To Williams For Abu Dhabi GP As Lewis Hamilton Tests Negative For COVID-19

George Russell drove Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes W11 at the Sakhir Grand Prix after the seven-time F1 World Champion contracted COVID-19.

Lewis Hamilton will compete in this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina after testing negative for COVID-19.

Hamilton tested positive for coronavirus early last week, forcing him to miss the Sakhir GP and paving the way for George Russell to make his grand prix debut with the Mercedes F1 Team.

READ: Red Bull Not Too Impressed With George Russell’s Sakhir GP Performance

The seven-time World Champion’s 10-day quarantine period ended on Thursday, and he subsequently tested negative for COVID-19 in Bahrain before flying out to the UAE and taking another test which also came back negative.

“Lewis tested negative for Covid-19 on Wednesday prior to completion of his self-isolation period in Bahrain. This enabled him to travel to Abu Dhabi on Thursday afternoon, and he tested negative on arrival,” Mercedes said in a statement on Thursday.

“Lewis has therefore completed the protocols required by the FIA for his entry to the paddock tomorrow and will be able to take part in the race weekend,” the Silver Arrows added.

As a result, George Russell will return to Williams this weekend and is likely to be feeling disappointed, as he wanted another opportunity with the Silver Arrows to claim his first victory in Formula One.

READ: George Russell Has ‘Capped’ Lewis Hamilton’s Value, Dented Bottas – Ex-F1 Driver