Lewis Hamilton revealed came close to collapsing at the end of his dramatic Hungarian Grand Prix, over fears he could be suffering from 'Long Covid.'
Hamilton managed to finish the race third on Sunday, despite the fact that he had to fight from the back of the grid after a Mercedes mistake early in proceedings.
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After getting out of his car, the reigning world champion needed assistance to get onto the podium, due to blurred vision, and he shared his worries about still suffering from contracting Covid.
"'I haven't spoken to anyone about long Covid but I think it is lingering there. I remember the effects of when I had it and training has been different since then. The level of fatigue that you get is different and it's a real challenge," Hamilton said after the race.
"I'm trying to keep training and preparing as best I can. Who knows what it was today? Maybe dehydration. I don't know but it was definitely different. I had something similar at Silverstone but this was way worse.
"I was having real dizziness and everything got a bit blurry on the podium.
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"I have been fighting all year with staying healthy because of what happened at the end of last year but still it's a battle."
Hamilton really had to fight back following the early strategy call that failed, when his team didn't put him on slicks after the restart following Max Verstappen's retirement in a first corner crash.
He stopped twice more though, switching his tyres late on to attack the leaders, and looked on course to actually win the race.
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That was until he caught up to former McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso, with the Spanish driver holding up his rival for 10 laps, which eventually meant Hamilton couldn't catch Alonso's current teammate, and surprise race winner, Esteban Ocon.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff revealed after the race that his driver had been sent to the doctor, saying, "I think you can just relate to it with the heat out there and a race like he had with tons of overtaking.
"That is exhausting. I think he should be alright, but it is better to be safe than sorry."
There was some good news for Hamilton after the race, with the British driver upgraded to second place, after Sebastian Vettel was disqualified.
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The German couldn't have 1 litre of fuel taken from his car to be tested, as is regulation, so lost his impressive 18 points.
The upgrade means that Hamilton is eight points clear of Verstappen at the top of the driver's championship at the summer break.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Formula One, Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton