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Lewis Hamilton: Formula 1 star tests positive for COVID-19, will miss Sunday's race

Lewis Hamilton: Formula 1 star tests positive for COVID-19, will miss Sunday's race
Posted at 5:24 AM, Dec 01, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-01 07:24:40-05

Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton will miss an upcoming race in Bahrain after testing positive for COVID-19, the racing organization announced on Tuesday.

Hamilton, 35, is a 7-time world champion and won Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix and also won the world title this year.

According to F1, Hamilton was tested three times last week, including Sunday afternoon, and tested negative each time.

That changed Monday morning when he woke up with mild symptoms, according to F1, and he took another test, which came back positive. A retest also came back positive.

According to his Mercedes racing team, Hamilton was notified that a close contact prior to his arrival in Bahrain had tested positive.

"Lewis is now isolating in accordance with Covid-19 protocols," Mercedes said in a statement. "Apart from mild symptoms, he is otherwise fit and well, and the entire team sends him its very best wishes for a swift recovery."

Hamilton is the third F1 driver to test positive for COVID-19. Sergio Perez tested positive ahead of the British Grand Prix and Lance Stroll tested positive ahead of the German Grand Prix.

Hamilton will have to test negative once again to return to racing, and it's not clear if he will be ready to go for the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.

It's not clear who will replace Hamilton for Mercedes in the Sakhir Grand Prix on Sunday, but Mercedes reserve driver Stoffel Vandorne will travel to Bahrain.

This story was originally published by WXYZ in Detroit.