Six-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton says the prospect of a home British Grand Prix without spectators leaves him empty inside but he is still raring to get going after months of waiting.
None of the drivers have raced since December, with the season stalled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Briton, however, has said he feels “fresher than ever” following an unexpected break from Formula 1.
The start of the 2020 Grand Prix season has been delayed until July by the coronavirus, with 10 races out of what should have been a record 22-event championship either cancelled or postponed.
But there are plans to start up behind closed doors in Austria and then Silverstone in July.
“It gave me a really empty feeling, because the fans really make that race,” Hamilton — a record six-times winner on home soil — said in a video interview released on Saturday by his Mercedes team.
“Around the world, the more fans there the more atmosphere you have, that’s why you have places like Silverstone and Monza. So it’s going to be very empty.
“I don’t know how exciting it’s going to be for people watching on TV but it’s going to be better than nothing,” added the Briton.
“For us it’s going to be like a test day, probably even worse than a test day in the sense that at a test day there’s not a huge amount of people in Barcelona that come to watch but there are still some.”
The champion, who has homes in Monaco and the United States and enjoyed a busy lifestyle before the crisis, did not disclose his location.
He said he was enjoying the downtime and described himself as a generally quiet, if workaholic, person.
“I’m great. This is the first time that I can remember that I’ve been in one place for six weeks,” he said.
“I’m excited to get back in, I really do miss it. This has been almost a blessing on one side because it gives you more appreciation for the things that you love and do.
“This has given me more energy and inspiration and determination to keep delivering and keep working with this great team.”
Hamilton said his weight had stayed the same and he was focusing on areas of weakness in training, such as calf exercises he normally found boring but recognised were important.
“There have been times in the past five years that I thought a rest would be good for body and mind.
“For an athlete in their prime, it’s never a good thing to step away for a year but we have been handed a part-sabbatical, which I am enjoying.”
The 35-year-old added: “I feel fresher and healthier than ever.”
He had also done some gaming and signed up for a six-week online course.
Hamilton has not been among the drivers taking part in online racing, although he said he had played Call of Duty online with fellow F1 drivers Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc.
“I’ve always wanted to learn a language and I still don’t know any other languages. It’s embarrassing I feel when people ask,” he said. “I aced French at school, it was the only thing I aced.
“When I do things I just do it to the extreme so I sit down and do it in two hours basically,” Hamilton added. “I just do one week a day.”




Ricciardo braced for ‘chaos’ when Formula 1 starts
Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo anticipates “chaos”, “rust” and “adrenaline” should the 2020 Formula One season start at last.
The global spread of the coronavirus has already led to 10 races, of what was to have been a record 22-event championship, being either cancelled or postponed.
Officials at the FIA, motorsport’s world governing body, are hoping to launch the season behind closed doors in Austria on July 5.
“(It will be) some form of chaos, hopefully in a controlled manner,” the Renault driver told BBC Radio Five Live.
“I am not really referencing cars everywhere. But there is going to be so much rust, a combination of emotion, excitement, eagerness.”
Ricciardo, waiting out the crisis on his farm near Perth, Western Australia, believes a dramatic season-opener is in prospect at the Red Bull Ring.
“Everyone is going to be ready to go,” he said. “You are going to get some guys who perform on that level of adrenaline and others who might not. 
“So you’re going to get some bold overtakes, some miscalculated ones.
“You’re going to see a bit of everything, I’m sure.”
Even though the pandemic means it has been several months since Ricciardo was on a race track, the 30-year-old believes his experience of eight full seasons of Grand Prix racing means he will be in the right physical condition should the 2020 campaign finally get underway.
“If this was my first year or two in F1, if I was still not completely adapted to it, my answer would be yes (it would take me time to get used to driving again),” he said.
“But winter testing is normally a good reference point. My first few winter testings, day one always felt like a bit of a shock to the system again. And the further my career has gone on, the less of a shock that has been.
“The rookies, the first-year, second-year guys, will feel it a little bit more.”