Mercedes has hit back at "misleading" reporting about Formula 1 teams taking up Bahrain’s vaccination offer.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reported this week that 90 percent of the Ferrari team, as well as members of the title-winning Mercedes outfit, are getting vaccinated while in Bahrain for pre-season testing and the season opening race.
But a Mercedes official told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that subsequent reports were "misleading" because the team is not being vaccinated as a group.
Red Bull is also backing Mercedes’ stance, saying whether team members are vaccinated "all depends on the personal choice of individuals".
Max Verstappen’s management declined to comment, but the Dutch driver said recently that because he is yet to contract the virus, he modified his behaviour over the winter.
"I didn’t go to Dubai," he said. "I avoided festivities and ensured I mixed with the same group of people."
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff commented: "It is a personal decision who wants to be vaccinated and who does not. It is not a decision that we as a team are making in one direction or the other."