Hamilton suddenly behind Verstappen: "I was not surprised by Red Bull's pace"

After missing a race due to having coronavirus, Lewis Hamilton was back behind the wheel in Abu Dhabi. In both qualifying and the race, he finished third behind Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas, but it was not easy for the F1 World Champion.

For the first time since Silverstone, Verstappen and Red Bull Racing managed to win a race again. "I was not surprised by their pace," Hamilton tells Sky Sports F1. "They were 15 seconds ahead and I couldn't match them. So congratulations to Max. It shows how good their car is and Alex was right behind me which wasn't the case all year so it shows they have made progression and Alex has made progression and that has been really good for the sport."

The first race after his coronavirus infection was hard for Hamilton. "I knew at some stage if I got it that it would be tough because there are people out there loosing there lives which is serious and I found it strange when world leaders laugh it off as if its nothing," the Brit said.