Max Verstappen finished second at the Saudi Arabia GP almost two weeks ago after a strong race to catch up. The Dutchman was severely restricted by the effects of his gastrointestinal infection, as he revealed before the race in Australia.
Verstappen had skipped the media Thursday in Saudi Arabia because he arrived later due to the infection. He hoped to be fit again quickly after the illness. But it was not like that.
“It felt like I was missing a lung,” he described his condition. “Then when I got into the car in FP1 I felt like I needed to recover for two laps to be able to breathe normally.”
That definitely affected him throughout the weekend, he revealed: “I didn’t like it because it was one of the first races where I felt like I was physically limited. It’s really frustrating when you’re in the car, but I’ve been trying to work on it and improve it ever since.”
“It hits you hard when you’re not feeling well, but unfortunately that’s what happens when you catch a virus. Hopefully things should go well for the rest of the year,” Verstappen continued.
“Everything should also be right for Australia,” said Verstappen. He is still looking forward to the three-week break between Australia and Azerbaijan: “For me, these three weeks are about getting fully fit again, completing a full program.”
Saudi Arabian-GP, Jeddah Corniche Circuit
01. Sergio Perez (MEX), Red Bull Racing, 1:21:14.894
02. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing, +5,355 sec
03. Fernando Alonso (E), Aston Martin, +20,728
04. George Russell (GB), Mercedes, +25,866
05. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes, +31,065
06. Carlos Sainz (E), Ferrari, +35,876
07. Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari, +43,162
08. Esteban Ocon (F), Alpine, +52,832
09. Pierre Gasly (F), Alpine, +54,747
10. Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas, +64.826
11. Yuki Tsunoda (J), AlphaTauri, +67,494
12. Nico Hülkenberg (D), Haas, +70,588
13. Guanyu Zhou (RCH), Alfa Romeo, +76,060
14. Nyck de Vries (NL), AlphaTauri, +77,478
15. Oscar Piastri (AUS), McLaren, +85.021
16. Logan Sargeant (USA), Williams, +86,293
17. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren, +86.445
18. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Alfa Romeo, +1 Runde
Out
Alex Albon (T), Williams, Bremsdefekt
Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin, drivetrain failure
Championship status (after 2 of 23 races)
driver
01. Verstappen 44 points
02. Pérez 43
03. Alonso 30
04. Sainz 20
05. Hamilton 20
06. Russell 18
07. Stroll 8
08. Leclerc 6
09. Bottas 4
10. Ocon 4
11. Gasly 4
12. Magnussen 1
13. Albon 1
14.Tsunoda 0
15. Hulkenberg 0
16. Sargeant 0
17. Zhou 0
18. De Vries 0
19. Plates 0
20. Norris 0
Constructors’ Cup
01. Red Bull Racing 87 Punkte
02. Aston Martin 38
03. Mercedes 38
04. Ferrari 26
05. Alpine 8
06. Alfa Romeo 4
07. Williams 1
08. Haas 1
09. Alpha Tauri 0
10. McLaren 0