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Unwell Hamilton on the mend after three-day rest

Lewis Hamilton has almost fully recovered from the "bug" that hit him at Hockenheim, the Mercedes driver enjoying a forced three-day rest before heading to Hungary.

A bout of illness wasn't the only thing that hit Hamilton last weekend, the reigning world champion and his team enduring a very messy German Grand Prix from which he salvaged a 9th place finish and 2 championship points thanks to a penalty that demoted Alfa Romeo's drivers.

However, a beneficial three-day rest went a long way towards repairing body and mind, and Hamilton hopes to be fully fit by Sunday to push for a record seventh career win in Budapest.

Mercedes defends 'messy' Hockenheim pit stop for Hamilton

"I’ve slept literally the last three days. So I feel a lot better," the Briton told the media on Thursday.

"I’m hoping to be 100% by the weekend. I still feel I need a bit more rest. I’ve just been fighting off some sort of bug.

"I definitely feel I am in a much, much better fighting shape for the weekend, so I can’t tell you how good that feels.

"I’m looking forward to getting back in the car, which is completely different to how I was feeling.

"Last Friday, getting in the car was not such a good feeling."

Hamilton was reluctant to revisit last weekend's events, perhaps for the better as both team and driver would be hard-pressed to extract anything positive from their botched performance.

"I’m focused on this weekend now," he added. "I don’t have any negative feelings or carrying weight from that weekend.

"I’ll just try and focus 100% on this weekend. I don’t plan on looking back.

"It was just a bad day. It’s something I’m conscious of. It was just a difficult weekend and these things happen."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.