Max Verstappen felt like he was ‘missing a LUNG’ and ‘couldn’t breathe normally’ before the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, despite the Red Bull star driving brilliantly from 15th to finish second
- Max Verstappen has admitted the extent of his illness before the Saudi Arabia GP
- The Dutchman was unwell in the build-up to the race but drove from 15th to 2nd
- Verstappen claimed he felt as if he was ‘missing a lung’ at home during the week
Max Verstappen has admitted he felt as if he was ‘missing a lung’ in the build-up to the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix earlier this month.
The Red Bull star started from 15th on the grid but made his way up through the field to finish second behind team-mate Sergio Perez at the Jeddah Corniche on March 19.
Despite that performance, Verstappen, 25, revealed he was extremely ill in the week before the race.
The Dutchman missed the media day in the Middle East after staying at home to recover – and added that he felt ‘physically limited’ on the track in the aftermath of his illness.
Speaking to media before this weekend’s Australia GP, he said: ‘At home I was really ill, like I could barely just walk around and felt like I was just missing a lung.
Max Verstappen has admitted he felt as if he was ‘missing a lung’ before the Saudi Arabia GP
The Red Bull star came second in Jeddah after a superb drive took him from 15th to the podium
But Verstappen, 25, revealed that he felt so ill before the race it felt like he was ‘missing a lung’
‘I got to the weekend, really believing that it was gone. Because normally when you get sick, like two, three days after you’re normally alright, you could just do your workouts.
‘But then when I jumped in the car in FP1, even just one performance, I felt like I had to recover for two laps to be able to breathe normally. So yeah, it definitely did affect me throughout the weekend.’
And Verstappen admitted he feels in better shape now, after a week off, as the drivers prepare for a three-week break after this weekend in Melbourne.
He added: ‘I’ve been trying to work on it (fitness), trying to improve it, and I do think that it has improved a lot. So normally this weekend should be alright. It’s quite a tough track in general (in Australia) and when you don’t feel well, it hits hard on you.’
Two-time champion Verstappen has continued his dominance from last season, and leads the drivers’ standings on 44, one point ahead of Mexican ‘Checo’ Perez.
Christian Horner’s constructors Red Bull have 87 points, compared to Aston Martin and Mercedes in second, on just 38.