Lewis Hamilton recovers from coronavirus, cleared to race for Mercedes F1 in Abu Dhabi GP
Lewis Hamilton had tested positive last week after waking up with mild symptoms after which he went into self-isolation in accordance with the health protocols in Bahrain.
In Short
- Lewis Hamilton tested positive for Covid-19 on December 1
- Williams' George Russell replaced Hamilton at Mercedes for the Sakhir GP
- Hamilton clinched the drivers' championship last month in Turkey
World champion Lewis Hamilton will return to the Formula One grid this weekend after recovering from Covid-19 on Thursday. Hamilton will race for Mercedes AMG Petronas in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday after getting a negative result in his latest test for coronavirus.
Hamilton had tested positive last week after waking up with mild symptoms after which he went into self-isolation in accordance with the health protocols in Bahrain.
"Lewis tested negative for COVID-19 on Wednesday prior to completion of his self-isolation period in Bahrain. This enabled him to travel to Abu Dhabi on Thursday afternoon and he tested negative on arrival.
"Lewis has therefore completed the protocols required by the FIA for his entry to the paddock tomorrow and will be able to take part in the race weekend," Mercedes said in a statement.
Hamilton clinched the drivers' championship last month in Turkey and has a big lead in the standings with 332 points, well ahead of Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas (201) and Max Verstappen (189).
The British driver has won 11 races this season. But his absence in Sakhir means he will not be able to win a 13th and equal Sebastian Vettel’s record, set in 2013 with Red Bull.
Hamilton, who was replaced at last weekend's Sakhir Grand Prix by fellow Briton George Russell, had already arrived in Abu Dhabi after completing quarantine in Bahrain, Mercedes added.
BREAKING: Lewis Hamilton will race in Abu Dhabi after returning a number of negative COVID-19 tests and completing a 10-day quarantine in Bahrain#AbuDhabiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/3FnPezH2Hu — Formula 1 (@F1) December 10, 2020
Russell, who squandered a chance to stand on the podium in the last race and finished 9th behind Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, will now return to Williams for the weekend.
Hamilton was the third high-profile F1 driver to contract coronavirus after Racin Point's Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll, both of whom stood on the podium in Sakhir.
Perez's win at a chaotic Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain was the first by a Mexican since Pedro Rodriguez won the Belgian GP in June 1970. Perez finished 10.5 seconds ahead of Renault's Esteban Ocon and 11.9 clear of teammate Lance Stroll.