‘No pain, no gain’: Lewis Hamilton uses Formula One summer break to get peak fitness days after admitting he is battling long Covid symptoms following struggles with dizziness, fatigue and blurred vision
Lewis Hamilton has given fans an insight into the hard fitness graft he is putting in during F1’s summer break, despite recent illness.
The British superstar revealed over the weekend that he is suffering with numerous symptoms of long Covid, as he continues to tussle for the F1 Championship title with bitter rival Max Verstappen.
Following a tense and eventful Budapest Grand Prix, in which he finished third, Hamilton complained of extreme fatigue and dizziness and required help onto the podium.
Lewis Hamilton gave fans an insight into the fitness regime he is pushing his body through
The Mercedes man said he was ‘pushing to expand these lungs’ during the workout
On Tuesday however the Mercedes ace uploaded a series of videos to his Instagram profile, showing himself pushing his body to the limit with a series of exercises.
Working on the bike and dripping with sweat, Hamilton in some visible discomfort captioned the footage: ‘Summer training starts now, let’s f go! Working through it, nothing we can’t do.’
He later added that he was ‘pushing to expand these lungs’ and treating his training as a case of ‘no pain no gain.’
After the race in Hungary Hamilton had admitted he may be suffering the debilitating long-term effects of coronavirus, having contracted the disease last December.
Hamilton said: ‘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.
‘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.
Hamilton appeared at his post-race press conference after getting treatment from the doctor
‘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.’
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff confirmed Hamilton had been sent to the team doctor at the end of the race as a precaution, after he seemed overwhelmed on the podium.
‘I think you can just relate to it with the heat out there and a race like he had with tons of overtaking,’ Wolff said.
‘That is exhausting. I think he should be alright, but it is better to be safe than sorry.’