Hamilton clears schedule in bid to recover from illness

Lewis Hamilton has cleared his schedule in the build-up to the Hungarian Grand Prix in a bid to recover from the illness that he struggled with at Hockenheim last weekend.

Hamilton revealed after taking pole position for the German Grand Prix that Mercedes had Esteban Ocon on standby to replace him as he struggled with flu-like symptoms throughout the weekend.

The five-time world champion crossed the line 11th after a difficult race that saw him spin off the track twice, as well as picking up a time penalty. He was later promoted to ninth after both Alfa Romeo drivers were hit with post-race penalties.

Speaking after the race, Hamilton confirmed he would be clearing his schedule in the build-up to the Budapest race weekend in a bid to recover from the illness.

"I’ve cancelled everything I have for the next few days. I’m going home probably just to sleep the next few days and try and get over this bug," Hamilton said.

"It’s not really improving massively, but hopefully over the next couple of days, it will.

"I don’t think being in the car is any good, and health is so important, so I’ll just try and make sure I’m as healthy as I can be for the next race."