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Lewis Hamilton ‘not great’, says Mercedes boss in new update since coronavirus diagnosis

Lewis Hamilton has tested positive for coronavirus and will miss the Sakhir Grand Prix (Getty)
Lewis Hamilton has tested positive for coronavirus and will miss the Sakhir Grand Prix (Getty)

Lewis Hamilton is “not great”, according to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, as the F1 world champion battles with mild symptoms of coronavirus.

Hamilton was ruled out of this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix earlier this week after testing positive for Covid-19 and has been self-isolating ever since.

His Mercedes seat has been taken up by fellow Briton George Russell, the young Williams driver, who was the fastest man in Bahrain during Friday practice.

“He is not great," Wolff said. Covid-19 is something you mustn’t take lightly and he is in safe hands. That is the most important. But it is those early days that are always not so nice."

He added: "Mild symptoms and then obviously, as you can imagine, a race driver out of his car and combine it with Covid, he would rather sit in there [the team garage].”

• Read more: Who is George Russell, the man replacing Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain?

Hamilton clinched his seventh world title this season but is now a doubt to race in the final grand prix of the year, at Abu Dhabi next weekend.