Max Verstappen, F1 Saudi ill health “feels like I lost my lungs”[F1-Gate.com]

Max Verstappen has opened up regarding the ill health he faced before and during the F1 Saudi Grand Prix. Verstappen led all three practice sessions despite a stomach ailment that delayed his arrival in Jeddah. A driveshaft failure in Q2 left him only 15th in qualifying, but he finished second behind Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in the final.

Ahead of this weekend’s F1 Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen revealed that he had suffered more than expected through the Jeddah event. “I was really sick at home, so for a while I didn’t believe in myself. I might hardly walk and I felt like I had lost my lungs,” said Verstappen. “I went into the weekend really thinking it was over, because usually when you’re sick you’ll be fine following a couple of days and you’ll be able to exercise. Even with the lap performance, it felt like I had to recover for two laps to breathe normally.”So, all weekend, it definitely affected me and I didn’t like it. I pushed myself physically to the limit. You might say it was the first race where I felt it and when I was in the car it was really frustrating.” “But since then I’ve been trying to improve it and I think it’s gotten a lot better. So “I think we should be fine this weekend. Jeddah is a tough track and it’s hard when you’re not feeling well, so it feels like everything is there.” Sometimes I do, but I think I’ll be fine for the rest of the year.”