Max Verstappen is gearing up for the F1 break as he still hasn’t fully recovered from the stomach bug that affected him ahead of Saudi Arabia.
With the cancellation of Chinese GP, F1 is getting a long break which Red Bull’s Verstappen is dearly looking forward to. A stomach bug delayed his arrival in Saudi Arabia where he missed the media day but completed the grand prix without any troubles health wise.
On-track it wasn’t as smooth due to his issues but he salvaged second. With another break since Saudi Arabia, Verstappen still hasn’t fully recovered from the illness and so he is looking ahead for the long break before Azerbaijan to mend himself.
Ahead of the Australian GP, Verstappen revealed how it was very difficult for him to manage at home which actually affected him in the car too. “I refused to believe it myself for a long time,” he said. “Because at home I was really ill, like I could barely just walk around and I felt like I was missing a lung.
“And yeah, I got to the weekend really believing that it was gone, because normally when you get sick, like, two or three days after you are normally alright, you can just do your workouts. But then when I jumped in the car in FP1… Even just one performance lap, 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, which I didn’t like, because it was one of the first races where I Just felt like I was physically limited. And that’s really frustrating when you’re out in the car. But yeah, since then I’ve been trying to work on it, trying to improve it and I do think that it has improved a lot.
“So normally this weekend should be alright. I think it was just all coming together in Jeddah. It is quite a tough track in general and when you don’t feel well, it hits hard on you. But yeah, these things unfortunately happen, you know, that you catch a virus and stuff. So, yeah, hopefully, from now onwards, for the rest of the year, I should be okay.
“A couple of weeks ago, I would say that I was not looking forward to the break. But then I got really ill and I’ve just been struggling a bit since that time, especially last race out. So for me now these three weeks is just getting back to, like, full fitness, getting a full programme in.
“So, in a way, it’s probably nice now. Normally, if you just feel well, I think I would also prefer to keep racing. It has nothing to do with looking into the car, trying to make it faster. I think that’s a natural process. But it’s a bit weird to have three weeks off, especially that early in the season,” summed up Verstappen.
Here’s F1 Australian GP details: https://formularapida.net/fia-shares-australian-gp-details-as-it-reminds-of-old-pitlane-rule/
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