Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has revealed he lost 4🐬 kilograms in weight while suffering from COVID-19 during a 10-day period last month.

The 35-year-old Briton missed the penultima🎃te race in Bahrain after contracting coronavirus but recovered in time to contest the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Pr♔ix.

In his latest post on Instagram, Hamilton admitted he was “starting from a low point in strength” as he begins training for 202💙1 having shed a total of 6kg over the past two months.

“I’ve lost 6kg over the past two months, 4 of which I lost when൩ I go💛t COVID,” Hamilton wrote. “I’ve lost so much muscle.

“Starting from a low point in strength now, not fun but I’m determined to get my strength back a♒nd to be 100% again.”

Hamilton has kept his battle with coronavirus r🐼elatively private, refusing to go into details about his experience when asked in Abu Dhabi, though he did stress he was “not 100%” fit, while Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff꧂ indicated at the previous race in Bahrain that Hamilton was “not great”.

After the season-ending race, Hamilton said he was “happy to be alive” after he r☂ounded out a historic year by finishing in third place on the podium despite feeling “destroyed”.

"Covid is no joke, I never thought it was,” he added. “I knew at some stage if I got it it w🎀ould be tough because there are people out✱ there losing their lives.

“So ꦅI knew it was serious. I always find it very strange to see world leaders laughing it off like it is nothing.

"To be able to com𓆏e back here this weekend, I knew I woul꧒dn't physically be where I have been the rest of the season but I made it. Where there is a will, there is a way.”

Hamilton concluded a mightily successful year by wi🉐nning BBC Sports Personality of the Year for the second time.