Max Verstappen may have made it appear simple to move up from 15th to second position at the Saudi Grand Prix, but the Dutchman has revealed that in Jeddah, he was up against more than just his F1 competitors.
Max Verstappen Has Shared His Recent Struggle With Sicknes
In the weeks leading up to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, illness left Max Verstappen feeling as though he was “missing a lung,” the defending Formula 1 champion has confessed.
The Dutchman took longer than expected to get to Jeddah and as a consequence missed media day. However, he returned to action on Friday in time for open practise and completed the remainder of the race weekend.
He does, however, believe that the after-effects of his illness during that race weekend “physically limited” him. Verstappen spoke with reporters before the Australian Grand Prix to elaborate on how he was feeling before he raced from 15th on the grid to second position.
The Red Bull racer said, “At home I was really sick, like I could barely walk around and felt like I was just missing a lung.” “By the time the weekend arrived, I genuinely thought it was lost. Because you can usually just do your workouts when you get sick, which usually happens two to three days after you’re typically fine.
“However, even after just one performance in FP1, I felt like I needed to rest for two laps in order to be able to breathe properly. So yes, it undoubtedly had an impact on me over the weekend.
Fortunately for the 25-year-old, he was able to continue his recovery over the free weekend that occurred between that race in Jeddah and this round in Melbourne. He now feels much better prepared for the Australian GP as a consequence.
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“I have been working on it, trying to improve it, and I do think that it has improved a lot,” he continued. Therefore, this weekend should be fine. In general, the course is quite challenging, and when you’re sick, it really gets to you.
Verstappen said: “Well, a couple of weeks ago, I’d say I wasn’t looking forward to it. So for me right now, this three-week period is just about coming back to like full fitness and fitting in a full schedule. However, if I were simply feeling good, I believe I would also prefer to continue running. “Looking into the car to attempt to accelerate faster has nothing to do with it. That’s a natural procedure, in my opinion.
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