An exhausted Lewis Hamilton admitted he felt "destroyed" by COVID-19 in his first race back since recovering from the virus, finishing third for champions Mercedes in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion conceded he wasn't at his best and was relieved to be done with the race after battling through a bout of coronavirus that saw him sidelined from last weekend's Sakhir Grand Prix.
"You can't win them all," he said, after claiming third behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas.
"And, considering the last couple of weeks that I have had, I am really genuinely happy with the weekend.
"I was not 100 per cent. It was not as good as we would have liked, but congratulations to Max. It was such a really hard race for me physically.
"All year, physically, I have been fine, but today I definitely wasn't. I am just glad it's over.
"A big thank you to the team for their continued support — it's still a fantastic result to get two podium finishes."
Hamilton insisted his performance at Yas Marina circuit was "massively" impacted by his recent illness, despite notching his 165th podium finish.
"I don't think I have ever been so blown, but look on the bright side — I made it through and I didn't even think I would be here, last week," he said.
"Now, I am looking forward to recovering, getting back into training and back to where I know I should be. I hope and pray that in 2022, the cars are better to follow.
"I don't know if it was a boring race to watch, but once you get within two seconds you are sliding around and in turbulence the whole time. And, of course, we need good tyres!"
In a later interview, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 that he felt "destroyed" by the coronavirus.
"COVID is not a joke and people all over the world are out there losing their lives — it should not be treated that way. It's really tough," he said.
"I find it very strange to see world leaders laughing it off because it's not funny."
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