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Formula 1

02nd Aug 2021

Lewis Hamilton fears he has long Covid after Hungarian GP result

Charlie Herbert

“I haven’t spoken to anyone particularly about it but I think it is lingering.

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he doesn’t think he has fully recovered from Covid-19, after he experienced fatigue and dizziness at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

In a thrilling and action-packed race, the reigning world champion put in a huge drive to finish third, having dropped down as low as 14th earlier in the race. This position was later raised to second after Sebastian Vettel was disqualified for Aston Martin’s failure to produce enough fuel from his car after the race.

But after the race, Hamilton said he thinks he is suffering from long Covid, having contracted the virus in December 2020. The Brit missed the start of the post-race press conferences as he was being attended to by his Mercedes team doctor for fatigue.

He said: “I have been fighting all year with my health after what happened at the end of last year and it is still a battle.

“I had really big dizziness and everything got a bit blurry on the podium.”

The Hungarian Grand Prix is a hot and physically demanding race, and Hamilton admitted that he fears he is still suffering from symptoms of Covid.

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“I haven’t spoken to anyone particularly about it but I think it is lingering,” he said.

“I remember the effects when I had it. The training has been different since then and the levels of fatigue you get are different and it’s a real challenge.

“So I am just continuing to try and train and prepare the best way I can. Who knows what it is today? Maybe it’s hydration but I’ve definitely not had that experience.

“I had something similar in Silverstone but this is way worse.”