Damon Hill hopes long Covid won’t impact Lewis Hamilton’s performance after requiring medical attention following the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion was clearly not his usual self on the podium in Budapest with Mercedes later confirming he was being treated by the team doctor before going to the post-race press conference.
“I was just so exhausted afterwards, it was one of the weirdest experiences I’ve had on the podium,” said Hamilton.
“I had real big dizziness and everything got a bit blurry on the podium.”
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Last year, the Briton was one of three drivers to miss a race after testing positive for Covid-19, doing so in November before the Sakhir GP.
And while the high temperatures combined with the physicality of pushing hard on the twisty Hungaroring track would be enough to explain Hamilton’s exhaustion, he admits the effects of the virus are still being felt.
“I mean I’ve been fighting… fighting all year really with the health, staying healthy, after what happened at the end of last year, and it’s a battle,” he said.
“I think it is lingering, you know, I remember the effects of when I had it, my training has been different since then and the levels of fatigue that you get is different and it is a real challenge as I said, so just continuing to try and train and prepare the best way I can, yeah.
“Today, who knows what it is today, maybe it is hydration, but have definitely not had that experience. I had something similar at Silverstone but this is way worse.”
While Mercedes confirmed Hamilton’s health improved in the hours after the race, and he’s also now had the summer break to recuperate, Damon Hill hopes the effects of long Covid will ease given the hectic 12-race sprint planned between now and Abu Dhabi on December 12.
“He was definitely out of energy,” the 1996 world champion said on the F1 Nation podcast after the Hungary GP. “He had burned it all up and I just hope and wish him well that he has got the ability to recover as soon as he can.
“This long Covid we have heard about… I have heard people talk about this and they have had Covid and a year later they still feel they are not 100 per cent. It is a nasty virus and let’s hope Lewis can get a full recovery from it.”
