Hamilton Admits to Faking Illness to Skip Pre-Season Testing
Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton has admitted to once faking illness to avoid pre-season testing with Mercedes. The seven-time world champion jokingly suggested that he had pulled a “sickie” in the past to skip the grueling testing sessions. The revelation came during a Q&A session with team principal Toto Wolff and reserve driver Mick Schumacher, where Hamilton playfully questioned teammate George Russell’s absence, prompting speculation about Russell possibly employing the same tactic.
While Wolff assured that Russell was genuinely unwell, Hamilton teased that he had used the same excuse in the past to avoid test days, stating, “I just generally don’t like test days.” Hamilton did not specify when he had feigned illness, leading fans to speculate on past instances. In 2015, Mercedes ruled Hamilton out with illness during testing at Circuit de Catalunya. However, he genuinely missed the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix due to a positive COVID-19 test, as per the sport’s isolation rules at the time.
Both Hamilton and Russell are aiming for a stronger performance in the 2024 season after Mercedes faced challenges and fell behind Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen in 2023. Russell, in particular, has set the goal of outperforming Hamilton in the upcoming season.
“No doubt, it’s been probably the toughest season I’ve ever had psychologically,” Russell told Motorsport Magazine. “Bouncing back from missed opportunities, missed results, mistakes. I think this is when you push yourself.
“And probably when I sit through my championship years, I probably wasn’t being pushed as much as I’m pushing myself now. I’m purposely trying to push myself further and beyond, and I’m not satisfied with just being on par with my team-mate in qualifying or whatever it may be.
“Or [2022 when] we were very even across the whole season. I want to be ahead. And that’s what I’m pushing myself for.”
