Lewis Hamilton gives his thoughts on George Russell's Mercedes performance

Lewis Hamilton says George Russell did "an amazing job" when he sat in his Mercedes car last weekend. Hamilton was forced to miss the Sakhir Grand Prix after testing positive for COVID-19, but has recovered for the final race of the 2020 F1 season. 

Hamilton jumped back into the car for two sessions on Friday. He didn't top either session but wasn't far away from teammate Valtteri Bottas. The seven-time World Champion reviews last weekend, which was the first race he missed since making his debut in March 2007. 

"I was very, very happy this morning just to be back here and try to finish the season strong. It felt like the first day back at school. It took a minute to get back to it. The second one gaining my bearings. Got most of the stuff done. I think George did an amazing job and everyone knows that. It was definitely odd and in my 27 years of racing. I've never missed a race. One day I will write a book about it," Hamilton told Sky Sports. 

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

"It's been a bit of a messy day. A lot going on and the guys have been on the road for three weeks. But we will punch through them like we always do and I know tomorrow will be better. We got through a lot of things that we needed to test for next year today. So, the guys are working as hard as they can for things for next year," Hamilton added.