Hamilton “devastated” to be sidelined with Covid-19

Lewis Hamilton has revealed to being “gutted” and "devastated" not to be racing in Bahrain again this weekend after testing positive for Covid-19.

The Mercedes driver, who has previously spoken about his extreme caution to limit his chances of catching the virus, requested a test after showing symptoms following Sunday's race and must now isolate for 10 days after returning a positive result.

“I’m devastated that I won’t be racing this weekend,” he said on Instagram. “Since we started the season in June my team and I have been taking all the precautions we possibly can and following the regulations everywhere we’ve been 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-islolation for ten days.

“I am 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.”

Hamilton, who will miss this weekend’s race and potentially the season finale in Abu Dhabi, which follows a week later, warned all his fans to continue to take the virus seriously and all the precautions possible.

“Please look after yourselves out there," he added. "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.”