Lewis Hamilton’s record-breaking season could be over after he tested positive for coronavirus.
The seven-time world champion is ‘devastated’ to miss this Sunday’s Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain — where he could be replaced by Williams’ British driver George Russell — while his participation in the season-finale in Abu Dhabi the following weekend is also in doubt.
Hamilton, who has ‘mild symptoms’ and is ‘otherwise fit and well’, is self-isolating at his hotel for 10 days, which means he is unlikely to be allowed into Abu Dhabi.
Owing to Covid restrictions, all Formula One personnel are travelling there from Bahrain on Monday, December 7, after which the whole country will effectively be locked down.
Once in Abu Dhabi, the travelling contingent will be encamped at mandated hotels on Yas Island in a secure bubble close to the track.
That means Hamilton, who would not be allowed to leave self-isolation until December 9, a week today, would require special dispensation to arrive later.
The 35-year-old tested positive on Monday, less than 24 hours after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix. He was informed that ‘a contact prior to his arrival’ had also contracted Covid.
Hamilton, who spent time on holiday in Dubai with his family and close friends before coming to Bahrain, said: ‘I am devastated that I won’t be racing this weekend.
‘Since we started the season in June my team and I have been taking all the precautions we possibly can and following the regulations in order to stay safe.
‘Unfortunately, even though I returned three negative results this past week, I woke up on Monday morning with mild symptoms and requested another test which came back positive.
‘Please look after yourselves out there, you can never be too careful. These are worrying times for everyone and we need to make sure we are looking after ourselves and each other.’
Mercedes want to put 22-year-old Russell into the vacant seat rather than their reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne but they need to reach agreement with Williams to do so.
Russell is part of Mercedes’ young driver programme.
It is unclear when or how Hamilton caught the virus, though Mercedes have confirmed someone he came into contact with before arriving in Bahrain has also tested positive.
Hamilton arrived in Bahrain on November 26 having spent two weeks at home in Monaco celebrating his F1 world championship.
He secured the title after winning the Turkish Grand Prix on November 15 and flew home on the same evening.
While in Monaco, he enjoyed a run on the beach and a game of tennis with his father Anthony in videos shared to social media, where he also spoke about celebrating his title win ‘with family’. It is unclear which other family members celebrated with him.
In another video, the Mercedes driver could be seen travelling in the same car alongside Anthony and his friend Daniel ‘Spinz’ Forrest.
While both his father and Forrest were wearing masks, Hamilton did not have a face covering on.
The date or location of the video are not known, though it appears to have been posted on social media on November 25, the day before Hamilton was seen at the track in Bahrain.
It has also not been revealed if Anthony or Forrest have tested positive.
It can take up to 14 days for coronavirus symptoms to appear after having contact with someone with the illness, suggesting Hamilton most likely contracted Covid in Monaco or very shortly after arriving in Bahrain.
Hamilton was seen exchanging elbow taps with members of the Mercedes team in the aftermath of his victory in Bahrain over the weekend.
Lewis Hamilton has tested positive for coronavirus and has had mild symptoms since Monday. Here he is pictured on November 29 after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton’s statement this afternoon after testing positive for coronavirus, ruling him out of this weekend’s race
Hamilton won his seventh Formula One title on November 15 in Turkey before returning home to Monaco the same evening. The next day, he filmed himself going for a run along the beach and said that he was feeling ‘blessed and grateful’
On November 22, Hamilton posted a video on Instagram of him playing tennis with his dad and revealed how he they have both been working hard at getting better at the sport
A mask-less Lewis Hamilton enjoying a ride in a Lamborghini with his father. It is unclear when this photo was taken
Mercedes driver could also be seen travelling in the same car alongside his friend Daniel ‘Spinz’ Forrest
His team say Hamilton was tested extensively last week, returning three negative results, including one on Sunday afternoon at the Bahrain International Circuit.
However, on Monday he woke up with mild coronavirus symptoms before being informed that a contact prior to his arrival in Bahrain had tested positive for the illness.
Hamilton then took another test which came back positive and was confirmed by a further retest.
The seven-time world champion, due to be knighted in the New Year’s Honours List, has not missed an F1 race since his debut in the sport in 2007 but will now sit on the sidelines for the penultimate race of the season.
He could also end up missing the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
A high-ranking source also said that it was ‘unlikely’ Hamilton would be able to race in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
Due to strict Covid-19 rules in Abu Dhabi, all personnel involved in the F1 event must travel from Bahrain on December 7.
Yas Island, where the season-ending race is being staged on December 13, will then effectively be locked down.
With Bahrain laws dictating Hamilton must quarantine for 10 days, it is anticipated that the world champion will not be eligible to fly until December 9 at the earliest.
Hamilton would require a special exemption to be admitted.
At races Hamilton has kept himself to himself, only having regular, close contact with physio Angela Cullen and adviser Marc Hynes – as well as pet bulldog Roscoe. This has been branded his ‘sub-bubble’. The ‘sub-bubble’ is now in self-isolation in Bahrain with Mercedes members also expected to be retested.
A Formula One statement on Tuesday said: ‘The FIA, Formula One and Mercedes Team can today confirm that during mandatory pre-race PRC testing for the Sakhir Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has tested positive for Covid-19.
‘In accordance with Covid-19 protocols, he is now isolating. All contacts have been declared. The procedures set out by the FIA and Formula One will ensure no wider impact on this weekend’s event.’
Lewis Hamilton arrives at the Bahrain Grand Prix with his dog Roscoe on November 26
Hamilton celebrates after winning the race. He was tested three times around last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix – all were negative
Mercedes added in a statement of their own: ‘Lewis was tested three times last week and returned a negative result each time, the last of which was on Sunday afternoon at the Bahrain International Circuit as part of the standard race weekend testing programme.
‘However, he woke up on Monday morning with mild symptoms and was informed at the same time that a contact prior to his arrival in Bahrain had subsequently tested positive.
‘Lewis therefore took a further test and returned a positive result. This has since been confirmed by a retest.’
‘Lewis is now isolating in accordance with Covid-19 protocols. Apart from mild symptoms, he is otherwise fit and well, and the entire team sends him its very best wishes for a swift recovery.’
Hamilton appeared to be drained at the end of the Bahrain GP, which was marred by a crash that left Romain Grosjean with minor burns to his hands and ankles after his Haas car crashed and burst into flames moments after the start.
‘It’s physical, this track has always been physical. We’ve got lots of high-speed corners so I was definitely feeling it,’ Hamilton said following Sunday’s race. ‘I was sliding around a lot out there and I wasn’t really quite sure how it would play out at the end.’
Hamilton, who wrapped up his record-equalling seventh world championship in Turkey last month, is the third driver to have contracted the illness.
Sergio Perez missed the British and 70th Anniversary Grands Prix at Silverstone in August, while his Racing Point team-mate Lance Stroll also tested positive following October’s Eifel Grand Prix in Germany.
Hamilton won this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, his 11th triumph of 2020, in a race that will be better remembered for Romain Grosjean’s remarkable escape from his fireball inferno.
His positive test and withdrawal means that he will miss out on matching Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel’s joint record for the most number of victories in a year – which he could have managed by winning the final two rounds in Bahrain next Sunday and at the season-decider in Abu Dhabi on December 13.
He will need to return a negative test before he is clear to take part in the final race of the reason.
In July, Hamilton faced public criticism and was forced to clarify his own views after he shared an anti-vaxxer post on his Instagram account.
Hamilton shared a post which suggested Bill Gates was lying when talking about coronavirus vaccine trials with his 18.3million followers. A clip of Gates offering reassurances about vaccines was captioned ‘I remember when I told my first lie.’
Hamilton deleted the video and published a statement saying he hadn’t seen the comment attached to the clip, but wanted to show there is ‘uncertainty around side effects’ of vaccines.
‘I’ve noticed some comments on my earlier post about the coronavirus vaccine, and want to clarify my thoughts on it, as I understand why they might have been misinterpreted,’ he said.
‘Firstly I hadn’t actually seen the comment attached so that is totally my fault and I have a lot of respect for the charity work Bill Gates does.
‘I also want to be clear that I am not against a vaccine and no doubt it will be important in the fight against coronavirus, and I’m hopeful for its development to save lives.
‘However after watching the video, I felt it showed that there is still a lot of uncertainty about the side effects most importantly and how it is going to be funded. I may not always get my posting right. I’m only human but I’m learning as we go.’
Sunday’s race will be the first Hamilton has missed since his debut at the 2007 season-opening race in Australia.
Mercedes have yet to confirm who will replace the Englishman for Sunday’s grand prix on the Outer Loop of the Bahrain International Circuit.
Mercedes reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne, formerly of McLaren, is in the running, while the world champions could also turn to British driver George Russell.
Russell, 22, is in his second season with Williams, but is a member of the Mercedes junior driver programme.
JONATHAN McEVOY: Lewis Hamilton is a germ-freak, and F1 is gripped by the mystery of how he contracted Covid. The sport has strict bubbling rules, but only at Grand Prix… so has he relaxed a little too much after winning the world title?
How did the germ-freak Lewis Hamilton contract Covid?
That is the question gripping the Formula One contingent away in Bahrain – with Mercedes super-sensitive about the issue. The world championship team’s hapless PR department is not even answering basic questions, which serves only to fuel the intrigue.
Perhaps he was struck with the virus around the time he was recording a video, seemingly last Wednesday, of him dancing as he sat in a car while not wearing a mask with his father Anthony (masked) alongside him and pal Daniel ‘Spinz’ Forrest (also masked) in the back.
Lewis Hamilton has returned two positive coronavirus tests and now is in isolation. Here he is pictured after winning in Bahrain
Maybe with the title wrapped up, he let his guard down as well as his face-covering off in the confined space of the car.
What has been confirmed is that a ‘contact’ he met before arriving in Bahrain last week has also tested positive – Mercedes are not revealing who that is but it may well be one of the two people with whom he shared the lift (though who knows who else he came into contact with?)
Has Hamilton broken Formula One’s strict bubbling rules?
Apparently not, as he is free to act as he wishes, meet whom he wants, away from the race track, subject to national Covid-related laws.
It is understood that his team are now re-testing several of their personnel who have come into contact with their star driver, while his trainer Angela Cullen is also believed to be in self-isolation, though Mercedes refused to confirm this.
Hamilton won his seventh Formula One title on November 15 in Turkey before returning home to Monaco the same evening. The next day, he filmed himself going for a run along the beach and said that he was feeling ‘blessed and grateful’
On November 22, Hamilton posted a video on Instagram of him playing tennis with his dad and revealed how they have both been working hard at getting better at the sport
Hamilton was pictured in Corsica in September as he spent time on Sir Philip Green’s £100million superyacht Lionheart
In a statement on Instagram, Hamilton said on Tuesday: ‘Hi guys. I’m devastated that I won’t be racing this weekend.
‘Since we started the season in June, my team and I have been taking all the precautions we possible can and following the regulations everywhere we’ve been in order to stay safe.
‘Unfortunately, even though I returned three negative results this past week, I woke up yesterday morning with mild symptoms and requested another test which came back positive. I’ve immediately gone into self-isolation for 10 days.
‘I’m gutted not to be able to race this weekend but my priority is to follow the protocols and advice to protect others.
‘I’m really lucky that I feel ok with only mild symptoms and will do my best to stay fit and healthy.
‘Please look after yourselves out there, you can never be too careful. These are worrying times for everyone and we need to make sure we are looking after ourselves and each other. Stay positive.’
The world champion is now the third Formula One driver to have tested positive for Covid-19
As for the procedure, F1’s travelling entourage of 1,200 are tested before travelling and always within 24 hours of arriving at the track ahead of a grand prix.
Everyone is then tested every five days during the race period or when staying out between back-to-back races such as last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix and this Sunday’s Sakhir race, also in the tiny Gulf kingdom.
At races Hamilton has kept himself to himself, as his wont anyway, and that has meant confining himself to regular, close contact with Cullen and Man Friday Marc Hynes – as well as pet bulldog Roscoe. This is called his ‘sub-bubbles’.
He even communicates with his engineers, at least some of the time, via Zoom.
But away from the track, he holidayed with controversial fashion tycoon Sir Philip Green and model Florence Mueller in September. He was pictured in Corsica on Green’s £100million superyacht Lionheart, replete with 15 crew cabins and 12 guest rooms.
It seems the Mercedes driver has not broken Formula One’s strict coronavirus rules though
Here in Bahrain, as at every other race this year, I am in a sub-bubble with one other journalist and a wider bubble with the 30 or so other reporters on site.
The two of us eat and travel together. Very cosy.
I have been subject to some 30 swabbing tests – a bud up my nostrils and down my throat. That is the price of travelling in these troubled times and this sort of constant vigilance has allowed Formula One to stop rare outbreaks spreading.
The virus can be localised, such as when Racing Point drivers Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll missed a total of three races with Covid. A small section of their team was isolated and the circus went on.
Just as it should again this time, as Hamilton sits in his five-star hotel room away from the fray.
Sportsmail has contacted Hamilton for comment while Mercedes refused to comment.