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via Reuters

via Reuters

Recently, Lewis Hamilton missed out on the race weekend at Sakhir Grand Prix, citing a positive COVID-19 test result. Hence, his compatriot, George Russell, stepped in as a replacement for the weekend.

Unfortunately, his terrible luck prevented him from scoring decent points. However, he did manage to impress everyone with his incredible pace throughout the race. Following the painful race, fans swarmed to social media to show their support for Russell, and demanded another chance for the young Briton.

Now that the focus has shifted to the upcoming Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, there is still uncertainty prevailing over who is going to drive that Mercedes. Although there is no official announcement on Lewis’s return, there is an update on the Briton’s road to recovery.

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What did Toto Wolff say?

Mercedes’ team principal, Toto Wolff, revealed considerably good news for Lewis’s fans. According to the Austrian, Lewis is on the right track to recovery. He added that the seven-time world champion could test negative by Thursday.

via Reuters

I think he’s on the right track,” Toto said. “If the doctors’ prognosis is correct, he may be able to get a negative test on Thursday or Friday.”

Considering the fact that Lewis only has a short span of time to recover, the result could go either way. If he fails to test negative by Thursday, he could well be missing out on another race weekend.

However, if he tests negative in Bahrain, he will have to test negative again in Abu Dhabi before joining his team for the weekend.

Toto reveals Lewis Hamilton is not having a great time trapped in the hotel

As a part of Bahrain’s COVID-19 protocol, Lewis had to keep himself isolated from the paddock and remain inside his hotel room for a period of 10 days.

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Hence, unsurprisingly, Toto mentioned that the Mercedes driver is not having a great time trapped in his hotel room. “It’s pretty bad what he’s gotten into,” he said. “And if you’re not at home, but lying in your hotel room, that’s naturally unpleasant.”

via Reuters

Lewis’s COVID misery turned out to end his impressive streak of 265 race starts. The Briton raced in every single race since his entry into Formula 1 in 2007.

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His isolation period will end on Thursday, and will effectively take a COVID test on the same day. Hence, all eyes will be on his test result, which could make drastic changes to the driver’s line-up for the Abu Dhabi GP.

So, the question is, will it be a weekend of redemption for George Russell? Or will Lewis Hamilton spoil Russell’s potential party by making a return to the paddock?