Lewis Hamilton has confirmed he is showing no symptoms for the Covid-19 coronavirus despite speculation of possible exposure.
Earlier this month, the six-time Formula 1 champion was photographed at an event in London with Sophie Trudeau, wife of Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, and actor Idris Elba, both of whom have since tested positive for the infection.
But in a social media post, Hamilton responded: “There’s been some speculation about my health after I was at an event where two people later tested positive for Coronavirus.
“I wanted to let you know that I’m doing well, feeling healthy and working out twice a day. I have zero symptoms, and it’s now been 17 days since I saw Sophie and Idris. I have been in touch with Idris and happy to hear he is OK.”
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Given people have been later diagnosed with Covid-19 despite being asymptomatic, those who have been in potential contact have still been tested, including McLaren driver Carlos Sainz.
But Hamilton says he is not going to be checked.
“I did speak to my doctor and double-checked if I needed to take a test but the truth is, there is a limited amount of tests available and there are people who need it more than I do, especially when I wasn’t showing any symptoms at all,” he continued.
“So what I’ve done is keep myself isolated this past week, actually since practice was cancelled last Friday and kept my distance from people.
“The most important thing everyone can do is stay positive, social distance yourself as best you can, self isolate if you need to, and regularly wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Thank you for all the messages. I’m sending you positivity and love from afar. Keep safe.”
In Australia, Hamilton was particularly critical of the decision to proceed with the race weekend before it was cancelled early on the Friday morning.
Since then, a further six events have been postponed or cancelled and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff issued a public letter to fans offering his view of the situation.
“Dear motorsport fans.
“We all love racing. Whether you support silver or red, pink or yellow, orange or blue – what unites us is our passion for racing. So, the prospect of months without F1 just as the season was about to start, after months of hard work to be ready for the new campaign – that prospect might be disappointing.
“After all, we were all looking forward to hearing the engines roar, to seeing the most sophisticated cars being pushed to their absolute limits, to watching the best drivers in the world fight tooth and nail on track.
“And yet, we must also realise, that racing is entertainment. We take it very seriously because we love it. But in the grand scheme of things, it is by no means essential. The health and wellbeing of our fans, our team members and society in general, however, is.
“As a team and as a sport we must do everything we can to keep our people safe and minimise the risk of spreading the virus. We fully support the decisions taken yesterday, and we will work closely with F1, the FIA, the local promoters and our fellow teams to find the best answers for our sport in the coming months.
“In March and April, the factories of all teams will be shut down for a period of three weeks. Bringing forward the summer shutdown period also frees up additional weekends in August which could then be used to host some of the postponed races – and hopefully provide some action-packed weeks once the season gets going. Of course, we will make sure to look after our colleagues to ensure their wellbeing during those busy weeks.
“At its very best, sport has the power to not just entertain but to unite us. Many of us have great memories of watching races on TV or at the track with our family and friends. In the next weeks, that unity is best celebrated in our homes and away from the public; not through direct contact, but rather through video calls or social media.
“In the coming weeks and months, we’ll have to adapt to new challenges, but we’ll approach those with the same energy and determination to those we encounter on track. We will not be silent but embrace our creativity and use our platform to be a positive voice in the F1 community. To you, our fans, team-mates, partners, and rivals, it’s by pulling together that we’ll get through these challenges ahead.
“Please stay safe, follow expert advice, make sure you keep your distance – and keep washing those hands!”
