Racing Point driver Sergio Perez is self-isolating after an inconclusive COVID-19 test ahead of Sunday's British Grand Prix.
Perez missed his scheduled Thursday news conference appearance because of the inconclusive test. He will remain in isolation until the result of a retest can be confirmed.
A negative result will see him resume his duties as normal, but if the second test returns a positive result, it would mean he would not be able to take part in the race.
That would likely see Racing Point call upon one of Mercedes' reserve drivers, Stoffel Vandoorne or Esteban Gutierrez, to whom it has access through its engine deal with the German manufacturer. Vandoorne last raced in F1 in 2018 for McLaren, and Gutierrez has not raced in the series since leaving Haas at the end of 2016.
It is the first time a retest has been made public during an F1 race weekend, with the sport recording two positive cases from nearly 15,000 tests during the first three race weekends in Austria and Hungary. Those individuals were quickly isolated and removed from operations ahead of the race weekend in Hungary, allowing the grand prix to continue as normal.
No Formula One driver has tested positive since the season got underway in Austria at the start of the month.