Hamilton will miss 'insane' Silverstone support: I don't have a lot of years left!
Lewis Hamilton says the absence of Formula One crowds makes little difference once he is "in the zone", but he is concerned there may be few opportunities left to soak up his "insane" Silverstone support.
Six-time world champion Hamilton is again at the top of the drivers' championship as the delayed 2020 season heads to the British Grand Prix this weekend.
It is the first of two Silverstone events on consecutive weekends, but there will be no paying spectators present due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Hamilton, who is now 35, will miss his home support, while the recognition his career is coming towards a close makes the behind-closed-doors nature of the race especially painful.
"Absolutely, the atmosphere, for me, is night-and-day different," said Hamilton, who has a record six British GP wins.
"At Silverstone, there's nothing like it. The whole year, it's the highlight of my year, the support is insane.
Roscoe and I going hard in the gym, teamwork makes the dream work pic.twitter.com/d6FyQfjFko
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) July 23, 2020
"It grows every year and I get to interact with the fans differently on that weekend and it's such an honour and privilege to be able to perform well and win a grand prix in your home country."
He told Sky Sports: "It feels great to be out there, because once you're in the zone, you're in the zone. But I really do miss the energy [the fans] bring.
"At Silverstone, for sure - I don't have a lot of years left and that's going to be one year that I miss all the fans.
"But I do want them to stay safe and we're in that period of time where safety is everything."