Hamilton on Verstappen's Abu Dhabi victory: "I was recovering from Covid"

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton head into the race weekend in Abu Dhabi with exactly the same number of points. Verstappen is still the championship leader due to a greater number of wins, but Mercedes is the favourite at the Yas Marina Circuit. Last year Verstappen won in surprising fashion, but Hamilton was 'not 100 percent' that weekend.

Red Bull Racing surprised friend and foe with victory in the final race of 2020, after Mercedes and Hamilton had already clinched both championships. For the German team, victory was no longer necessary, but it has ensured that Verstappen will be all but blitzed in Abu Dhabi.

When reminded of this, Hamilton comes up with an explanation as to why he wasn't as competitive as expected last year. "I was just reminded that I was recovering from Covid, so I wasn't a hundred percent yet," he tells Sky Sports.

The Mercedes driver rates his chances for this weekend highly, especially with the changes made to the circuit. "The places where we were weak are not there anymore so that's positive, but they will still be strong," Hamilton said.