Hamilton shaking off the ‘flu

(GMM) Championship leader Lewis Hamilton has arrived in Germany for the European grand prix hoping to shake off a bout of the 'flu.

The McLaren rookie, who leads the drivers' standings by 12 points from his teammate Fernando Alonso, is taking medication but tried to play down the illness at a Vodafone sponsor event on Thursday.

"I've just caught a bit of 'flu, but it's okay," Hamilton, 22, was quoted as saying by PA Sport before taking to a circuit in a McLaren-liveried go-kart.

The Briton continued: "I don't think it's going to be a problem. Trust me, I'm a lot better now than I was on Monday."

His mood will not have been improved when he arrived at the Nurburgring, which is drenched in the remnants of torrential rain on the eve of opening free practice.