F1 champ Lewis Hamilton offered MASSAGE by rival

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Australia, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Off The Track

Hamilton offered MASSAGE by rival

It has been an exhausting season for Lewis Hamilton

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 25 June 2024 22:57 Updated: 23:06

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Lewis Hamilton has taken a deserved break from racing despite achieving a season best result of P3 at the Spanish GP.

The champion’s final season at Mercedes has been gruelling, and will be looking forward to making the move to Ferrari for 2025.

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Not only has the Brit failed to win a race since Saudi Arabia in 2021, but experienced the longest podium drought of his career until Barcelona.

Coupled with Hamilton’s qualifying woes against team-mate George Russell, 2024 has been exhausting for the champion often appearing deflated post-race.

Lewis Hamilton has frequently bemoaned the pace of his Mercedes in 2024

Lewis will be buoyed by his result at the Canadian GP

Hamilton ‘sleeps’ after Spanish GP

However, since Mercedes introduced upgrades to his W15 in Canada, Hamilton has been re-energised by a competitive spirit and secured P3 at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Following his first podium of the year, Hamilton was the first to arrive at the post-race press conference.

According to Luke Smith, the champion immediately put his sunglasses on and reclined on the sofa .

“I’m going to take a nap,” Hamilton said.

Lewis Hamilton takes a nap after Spanish GP

He remained lying down when the other drivers Max Verstappen and Lando Norris entered the press conference.

The pair came first and second respectively in the grand prix, with Norris missing out on a second career victory after acquiring pole position on the Saturday.

Despite their success Verstappen and Norris are still some of the youngest drivers on the grid, the champion 26-years-old and the Brit 24.

As Verstappen entered the conference he observed the 39-year-old Hamilton lying down and was quick to make a joke at the expense of his age.

"He's clearly getting old! Do you need a massage?" Verstappen joked.

Whilst Hamilton looked exhausted, the result and Mercedes’ resurgence to the front will have buoyed the British star.

With the Austrian and British GP next in F1’s triple header, Hamilton will be hoping to carry this momentum to his home race at Silverstone and another podium.