(WXYZ) — Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton will miss this weekend's Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain after testing positive for COVID-19, the racing organization announced on Tuesday.
Hamilton, 35, is a 7-time world champion and won Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix and also won the world title this year.
According to F1, he was tested three times last week, including Sunday afternoon, and tested negative each time.
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) December 1, 2020
That changed Monday morning when he woke up with mild symptoms, according to F1, and he took another test which came back positive. A retest also came back positive.
According to the racing organization, Hamilton was notified that a contact prior to his arrival in Bahrain had tested positive.
"Lewis is now isolating in accordance with Covid-19 protocols," Mercedes said in a statement. "Apart from mild symptoms, he is otherwise fit and well, and the entire team sends him its very best wishes for a swift recovery."
This is the third F1 driver to test positive for COVID-19. Sergio Perez tested positive ahead of the British Grand Prix and Lance Stroll tested positive ahead of the German Grand Prix.
Hamilton will have to test negative once again to return to racing, and it's not clear if he will be ready to go for the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
It's not clear who will replace Hamilton in Sunday's race, but Mercedes reserve driver Stoffel Vandorne will travel to Bahrain.
