After a dramatic race, Lewis Hamilton blasted his way to third place in the Hungarian Grand Prix. The F1 champ’s battle was not over at the finish line, however. Hamilton appeared to be struggling with the effects of long Covid on the podium.
He added: “I have been fighting all year with staying healthy because of what happened at the end of last year but still it’s a battle.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff confirmed Hamilton had been sent to the team doctor at the end of the race as a precaution, after he seemed on the brink of collapse.
“I think you can just relate to it with the heat out there and a race like he had with tons of overtaking,” Wolff said.
“That is exhausting. I think he should be alright, but it is better to be safe than sorry.”
What is long Covid?
For some people, coronavirus (COVID-19) can cause symptoms that last weeks or months after the infection has gone. This is sometimes called post-COVID-19 syndrome or “long COVID”.
How long it takes to recover from COVID-19 is different for everybody.
“Many people feel better in a few days or weeks and most will make a full recovery within 12 weeks,” explains the NHS.
But for some people, symptoms can last longer, notes the health body.
According to the NHS, the chances of having long-term symptoms does not seem to be linked to how ill you are when you first get COVID-19.
“People who had mild symptoms at first can still have long-term problems.”
There are lots of symptoms you can have after a COVID-19 infection.
Commonly reported long COVID symptoms include:
- Extreme tiredness (fatigue)
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain or tightness
- Problems with memory and concentration (“brain fog”)
- Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- Heart palpitations
- Dizziness
- Pins and needles
- Joint pain
- Depression and anxiety
- Tinnitus, earaches
- Feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite
- A high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste
- Rashes.
