Lewis Hamilton Confesses to Using “Sick Days” to Dodge F1 Testing
Mercedes’ star driver, Lewis Hamilton, has openly admitted resorting to feigning illness to escape the rigors of Formula 1 testing throughout his illustrious career. Known for his aversion to testing sessions that lack a competitive edge, Hamilton candidly shared this revelation during an end-of-season team talk uploaded by Mercedes to their official YouTube channel.
In the footage, Hamilton, alongside team boss Toto Wolff and reserve driver Mick Schumacher, addresses a gathering of Mercedes workers, with the absence of teammate George Russell noted. Wolff explains that Russell had to withdraw from the team due to illness, prompting Hamilton’s mischievous grin.
Breaking into laughter, Hamilton confesses, “In the past, I have done that to miss test days because I just generally don’t like test days. So yesterday when I heard that he was sick, I was like, ‘Oh, he’s one-upped me. He’s gone to another level.'”
Russell’s visibly challenging health over the concluding weeks of the 2023 season, culminating in a demanding double header in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, was described by the driver himself. He mentioned, “I was coughing every single lap, but when you’re strapped into the car, you can’t breathe. You can’t take a deep breath to get the cough out, so it was just constantly with me.”
Despite Hamilton standing as the most successful driver in F1 history, having clinched seven World Championships and over 100 Grand Prix victories, the 38-year-old has faced challenges. While his 2021 title rival Max Verstappen has dominated recent races, Hamilton has endured two consecutive winless seasons after securing at least one victory annually since his debut with McLaren in 2007.
