LEWIS HAMILTON says he is feeling fighting fit and ready to lock horns again with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The Brit was left exhausted after winning the epic Hungarian GP and later complained he was suffering from long covid.
Hamilton, 36, tested positive for covid last December and says he used F1’s summer break to recharge his batteries.
However, he is now eager to get racing again, starting this weekend in Spa for the Belgian GP, the first of five races over the next six weeks.
He said: “I’ve spent time over this period of time just trying to make sure I’m in the best shape.
“I do feel like I’m in better shape moving into the second half of the season and it’s not a concern for me.
“In the world, we are still in this pandemic, and I still stress the importance of people staying safe.
“Naturally, as you move around, you’re seeing people relaxing more and more, but the virus is still around.
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“We’ll continue to be in our bubble and I will continue to be focused on my health and making sure that I continue to get stronger through the rest of the year.”
In the last two races, Hamilton has overturned Verstappen‘s 33-point advantage in the championship and now leads the title race himself by eight points.
And he says that after his Mercedes team went through their “difficult patch” earlier in the season, they are all fully motivated for the second half of the season.
He added: “The break was definitely much needed, but it felt too long at the end. I was definitely excited to get back to work and just miss working with the team and miss being in the car.
“I was definitely very keen quite early on just to get back. It seemed a little bit prolonged, but having that time is really precious naturally.
“So [you] just try to remain grateful for the spare time that you do have, and try to use it to the best of my ability. Now we’re back, which is great.”
Hamilton has made it clear to his Merc bosses that he would prefer to keep Valtteri Bottas as his teammate for next season.
However, it is likely that fellow Brit George Russell will get the nod, with Merc boss Toto Wolff now trying to find a seat for the Finn at a rival F1 team.
While he would not confirm or deny the news, Russell did admit that he would relish the chance to go up against Hamilton next season.
He said: “Ask any driver, they want to go against the best and Lewis is probably the greatest of all time.
“You want to put yourself against [them] and see how you fare. It would be an honour for anybody to get that opportunity.
“It’s all hypothetical at the moment. [These] are the same comments as I’ve said [previously].
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“If I could choose to race against anybody as my teammate, Lewis would be the one.”
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso will extend his stay with the Alpine team into 2022.
The two-time F1 world champion, 40, has agreed to remain with the Oxfordshire-based team.
