Verstappen recounts his struggle in Saudi Arabia: I felt like I was missing a lung
The Dutch driver shared how he battled his illness at Jeddah GP. Not only did Max Verstappen face off against Sergio Perez as his rival at the Saudi GP, but also an ongoing illness which has plagued him ever since.

In an interview from Melbourne, the Dutch driver recounted his three week ordeal due to a virus which forced him to delay his arrival in Jeddah.
“I got really sick in the last race and have been struggling a bit since, so for me these three weeks are just about getting back into shape,” he said ahead of this weekend’s Australian GP.

Mad Max experienced acute discomfort before visiting the Saudi Arabian GP.

“I felt like I was missing a lung,” he recounted, “and I went into the weekend in Jeddah really believing it to be gone. But it wasn’t,” he insisted.

“Usually when I get sick, it goes away in two or three days,” she said. “But when I got in the car for Practice 1, even on the performance lap, it felt like I had to rest for two laps just so I could breathe normally again.”

Given this, Max Verstappen insisted his performance wasn’t the best due to an illness he was dealing with in his body.

“This weekend was definitely difficult for me,” he admitted, “because it was one of the first races where I felt physically limited – which can be really frustrating in the car.” “That made it all the more challenging.”

Nevertheless, the Dutchman believes he has made progress and hopes to do well at the Australian GP.

“Since then, I’ve been working on improving it and I believe it has,” the world champion affirmed. “This weekend should be no problem at all for me,” she added confidently.

“I believe everything was coming together nicely, as Jeddah is an incredibly difficult track in general.

“Seriously, when you don’t feel well, it can be a real bummer. Unfortunately, these things happen when you get a virus, but hopefully I’ll be fine for the remainder of this year.”

Verstappen addresses Checo Perez on Fastest Lap in Saudi Arabia
At a press conference before the media in Melbourne, the two-time Formula 1 champion sought to resolve their disagreement with Sergio Perez over who made the fastest lap during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The Dutch driver turned back Checo, asserting there had been no difference in indications.

“That was not due to a lack of communication,” he insisted firmly.

“Red Bull was asked the same question at the Bahrain Grand Prix, but ultimately our side (Red Bull) never revisited it again.”