PIASTRI COULD REPLACE ILL NORRIS
A very unwell Lando Norris has been diagnosed with tonsillitis and with Monaco just days away Australian Oscar Piastri may be called upon to sub-in for the Englishman.
McLaren does not have a specific reserve driver but earlier this year added the Alpine reserve driver Piastri to its list of potential stand-ins.
Mercedes reserve drivers Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries are on the list as well as former Force India driver Paul di Resta.
Norris was unwell all weekend, at first his condition was put down to hay fever, then an allergic reaction. Throughout the McLaren driver was testing negative to COVID-19.
His condition continued to worsen and post-race was found that he was suffering from tonsilitis.
Norris was forced to miss the usual post-race media sessions in Barcelona in order to undergo medical checks.
In a true gritty drive Norris came from outside of the top 10 to finish the race in eighth place, describing it as one of the toughest races of his career on social media.
“Today was tough,” said Norris. “I was feeling really unwell before the race as I’m suffering with tonsillitis, and that, in combination with the high temperatures, made this one of the hardest races I’ve ever done.
“I’ve been a bit on the backfoot this weekend as most of my energy has been spent fighting off this illness.
“I’ve had to miss a lot of engineering sessions, which has compromised my weekend, and I definitely wasn’t as prepared for the Grand Prix as I could have been.
“With that in mind, I’m really pleased to have come out of the race with decent points for the team.”
Even before the race began Norris looked in a bad way, however he fought through the sweltering 37-degree temperatures to claim an impressive four points.
His Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo started ninth but went the other way dropping down to finish in 12th position.
With the Monaco Grand Prix weekend just four days away, McLaren is hoping Norris will make a swift and full recovery for the toughest street race of the season.
If not, the reigning FIA Formula 2 Champion Piastri could be called upon to make his Formula 1 debut in the Principality of Monaco.
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