02/08/2021
NEWS STORY
Suffering dizziness and blurring on the podium, Lewis Hamilton fears he has long COVID.
The Briton had a fraught afternoon, for though he escaped the first corner mayhem caused by his teammate and Lance Stroll, he dropped to last shortly after the race was subsequently stopped and restarted following a strategic error by his team.
Fighting his way back through the field he was involved in numerous tough battles with drivers refusing to give way as they battled for track position.
Following his final stop for mediums, with his team sensing not merely a podium but a win, the Briton was urged to push to the limit for the remaining 20 plus laps.
A tough battle with Fernando Alonso cost him precious time and at the finish he was third, though he was subsequently promoted to second following Sebastian Vettel's disqualification.
On the podium Hamilton looked spent, but so did a lot of his colleagues following what had been a particularly tough afternoon. However, it was when he missed the start of the official press conference that it became clear there was an issue, the seven-time world champion revealing that he had been seen by his team doctor.
"Everything got a bit blurry on the podium," said Hamilton. "I've been fighting all year, really, with staying healthy after what happened at the end of last year," he added, a reference to when he missed the Sakhir Grand Prix after testing positive for COVID.
"It's still a battle," he continued. "I haven't spoken to anyone particularly about it but I think it is lingering.
"I remember when I had it, training's been different since then, the levels of fatigue that you get, it's different. Who knows what it is today, maybe its hydration, I don't know. But I've definitely not had that experience. I had something similar in Silverstone but it's just way worse."
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