Reigning World Champion and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton believes that the feel of racing in Formula One would be “really empty” if there are no spectators.

The coronavirus pandemic has already forced the postponement or cancellation of nearly half of the F1 races in 2020 along with some more possible cancellations on the cards.

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With the social distancing being one of the key factors to contain the spread of the virus, it is an open secret that the first few Grands Prix will be “ghost races”.

“It gave me a really empty feeling because the fans are really what make the race,” Hamilton said at a Mercedes Q&A video as quoted by Essentially Sports.

“You know around the world, all the races we go to, the more fans there are, the more atmosphere you have.”

“That’s why you have places like Silverstone and Monza and so it’s gonna be very empty but what’s great is getting messages from people who are struggling cause they’re not getting to watch sports and it just shows how significant sport is on people’s lives, it brings us all together,” he added.

Earlier, Hamilton had said that the suspension of races due to the COVID-19 pandemic has left a “big void” in his life and that this is the first time he has not started a season since he was eight years old.

Notably, the first practice session of this year’s Formula One in Austria was cancelled hours before its scheduled time in March which was followed by a series of cancellations of various races across the globe.