Racing Point team boss, Otmar Szafnauer has revealed that Lance Stroll has not felt well since the Russian GP weekend, but rules out Covid link.

Ten minutes into FP3 and the Canadian was the only driver still to make an appearance in a session that was going to be busy due to the total lack of running on Friday.

However, shortly after the team issued a brief statement revealing that Stroll was unwell and wouldn't take part in the session, and that a decision on his involvement in the remainder of the weekend would follow.

It was not long after that that talk of Nico Hulkenberg deputising for the Canadian began, only for the German to be spotted arriving at the track.

Racing Point subsequently confirmed that Stroll would play no further part in the Eifel weekend and would be replaced by Hulkenberg who had previously replaced Sergio Perez at the two Silverstone events when the Mexican tested positive for Covid.

"He hasn't been feeling great since Russia," Szafnauer subsequently told reporters. "Since we left Russia he hasn't been that great.

"I think he had a bit of a cold," he continued, "at first we thought, 'well we need to get him tested for the virus', we've tested him multiple times, including the pre-event test for this race, and he has come back negative three or four times.

"He doesn't have the classic Covid symptoms," he added, "he just doesn't feel well in himself. Last night he had an upset stomach, he was on the toilet the whole time.

"He said 'I've got rid of a lot of a fluid and I can't get off the toilet for long enough to get to a race car'," he helpfully revealed, "so I don't know if it is something he ate or a tummy bug or what.

"He said he wasn't up to it. We're going to have a double header coming up, he said he'd rather rest and get ready for that. We were hoping he was going to get better and better.

"We've got a doctor looking after him and when he's fit to leave he'll go home."

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