LEWIS HAMILTON has taken some serious punishment behind the wheel of his Mercedes this year.

From having to deal with persistent bouncing that left his back in agony, Hamilton has now had the arm of his racing suit RIPPED while driving.

The 37-year-old took a second consecutive P2 in Hungary on Sunday with another impressive drive.

But his efforts saw the arm of his suit rip and the padding from inside his jacket poke out.

David Coulthard spotted the tear on Hamilton's arm as he conducted the post-race podium interviews.

And a baffled Hamilton did not even realise it was there, so used he is to taking punishment this season.

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When asked where the rip came from Hamilton could not give an honest answer as even he did not know for sure how it happened.

He suggested: "That's probably just banging against the side of the cockpit."

Thankfully though Hamilton confirmed the rip to his suit had not injured his arm.

The Brit added: "I've never seen that before, but my arm is ok."

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The incident is the latest in what has been a brutal season for Hamilton physically.

He was a doubt for the Canadian GP back in June after his back took a beating in Baku the week before.

The seven-time F1 world champion was left in agony as his Mercedes bounced around the street circuit in Azerbaijan.

But a brutal recovery regime meant he was fit in time to race following the injury.

Now Hamilton and Mercedes are showing real improvement, with the F1 star finishing on the podium in the last five races.

Speaking after the Hungarian GP, Hamilton said: "It’s hugely satisfying and a great feeling for us given the year we’ve had and to see the progress we’ve started to make.

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"Just getting P2 last week [in France] was huge and it’s two races in a row George and myself have shared the podium, which is fantastic.

"To start seventh and get up here is a great recovery. The race was lost on the first medium tyre stint, but yes, the second and third part of the race was pretty epic."

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