Lewis Hamilton: Lack of racing leaves ‘big void’

Britain’s Lewis Hamilton says the lack of racing in Formula 1 so far this year has left him feeling “a big void”.

The Mercedes driver, who will bid to equal the record of seven world titles if the championship can be started, says he “misses racing every day”.

“This is the first time since I was eight that I haven’t started a season. When you live and breathe something you love, there’s definitely a big void.”

But he added the coronavirus crisis had given everyone “time to reflect”.

And the 35-year-old also said on Twitter he hoped society would “come out of it with better knowledge of our world, changing our personal choices and habits”.

Hamilton, who has regularly spoken in the past two years of his conversion to veganism and his concern for man’s effect on wildlife, added: “Today, we see clearer skies all over the world, less animals being slaughtered for our pleasure simply because our demands are much lower and everyone is staying in.

“Let’s not come back the same as we went into this tough time.

“Let’s come out of this as a new us, a new reinvigorated you, fitter, healthier and more focused, but above all kinder, more generous and gracious and caring for our world and the people in it.”

Last month, Hamilton criticised the decision to try to press ahead with the first race of the season in Australia, which was cancelled on the morning first practice was scheduled to start.

Hamilton said the decision not to abandon the race earlier was “shocking”.

Now, F1 bosses are working on a plan to start a truncated season on the first weekend in July in Austria.

F1 boss Chase Carey said on Monday that he was “increasingly confident” this would happen, and outlined a season that would see a few races in Europe, before heading into Asia and the Americas and conclude in the Middle East.