Hamilton feels ‘empty’ at idea of British GP without fans
Six-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton says the prospect of a home British Grand Prix without spectators leaves him empty inside, but he is still raring to get going after months of waiting.
There has been no racing since December, with the season stalled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but there are plans to start behind closed doors in Austria and then Silverstone in July.
“It gave me a really empty feeling, because the fans really make that race,” Hamilton, a record six-time winner on home soil, said in a video interview released by his Mercedes team. “Around the world, the more fans there are, the more atmosphere you have, that’s why you have places like Silverstone and Monza. So it’s going to be very empty.
“I don’t know how exciting it’s going to be for people watching on TV but it’s going to be better than nothing. For us it’s going to be probably even worse than a test day in the sense that at a test day there’s not a huge amount of people in Barcelona that come to watch, but there are still some.”
The champion, who has homes in Monaco and the United States and enjoyed a busy lifestyle before the crisis, did not disclose his location. He said he was enjoying the downtime and described himself as a generally quiet person, though a workaholic.
“I’m great. This is the first time that I can remember that I’ve been in one place for six weeks,” he said. “I’m excited to get back in, I really do miss it. This has been almost a blessing on one side because it gives you more appreciation for the things that you love.
“This has given me more energy and inspiration and determination to keep delivering and keep working with this great team.”
Hamilton said his weight had stayed the same and he was focusing on areas of weakness in training, such as calf exercises he normally found boring but recognised were important.
He had also taken part in some gaming, and signed up for a six-week online course. “I’ve always wanted to learn a language and I still don’t know any other languages. It’s embarrassing, I feel, when people ask. I aced French at school, it was the only thing I aced,” he said. “When I do things I just do it to the extreme, so I sit down and do it in two hours basically.”
Meanwhile, Renault driver Daniel Ricciardo is expecting a chaotic return when the season does eventually start. Drivers’ representative Alex Wurz described F1’s safety planning as “immaculate” ahead of the planned launch of a truncated championship, but Ricciardo believes it will not be so straightforward.
“[It will be] some form of chaos, hopefully in a controlled manner,” the Australian told BBC Radio 5 Live. “There is going to be so much rust, a combination of emotion, excitement, eagerness.
“Everyone is going to be ready to go. You are going to get some guys who perform on that level of adrenalin and others who might not. So you’re going to get some bold overtakes, some miscalculated ones. You’re going to see a bit of everything, I’m sure.”