Max Verstappen, a two-time world champion, acknowledged on Thursday that he was still recovering from a stomach virus that struck him hard in Saudi Arabia, but he is optimistic that Red Bull will succeed in Australia this weekend.
Due to illness, the 25-year-old Dutchman arrived in Jeddah two weeks late and missed the media day before starting the first practice session on Friday.
After winning the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, he overcame his discomfort to place second in the race, just behind teammate Sergio Perez. Verstappen said on Thursday that the illness was so severe that he could “barely walk” before leaving for Jeddah and that, while feeling better now, the effects were still being felt.
He described the severity of the disease for the first time, saying, “I was at home terribly ill and I could barely walk around and I felt like I was missing a lot.” I thought the sickness was completely gone by the time the weekend rolled around, but after getting into the car for FP1, even for just one lap, I felt like I needed to rest for two laps in order to breathe correctly.
So, yes, it did negatively impact me during the weekend, which I didn’t enjoy. It was one of the first races where I simply felt physically constrained, which is very upsetting while driving.
Despite making progress since then, he is eager for the four-week vacation following the Australian Grand Prix and before the following race in Azerbaijan to fully heal. “A couple of weeks ago I was not looking forward to it (the break), but then I got really ill… Hence, regaining my full fitness will be a priority for me during the next few weeks.
Red Bull has dominated this season, taking 1-2 at the first two grand prixs, and Verstappen is the clear favorite for the race on Sunday at Albert Park. Nevertheless, it isn’t a happy hunting ground for him because his car caught fire mid-race last year, preventing him from finishing.
“Last year was incredibly difficult here, finishing last, being slow in the race, but I think we also learnt very fast after the weekend what we obviously did wrong with the set-up,” he said.
“I believe that reliability improved from that point on, and the car’s performance obviously improved greatly as well. Verstappen has only once finished on the podium in Melbourne, and that was in 2019. However, on Sunday, that is likely to change as the other teams, led by Aston Martin, Mercedes, and Ferrari, play catch-up.
Naturally, things have changed since then, but in recent years, Red Bull hasn’t exactly been strong at the start of the year, he claimed. So, I believe that my performance would have been much better had this event taken place at a different time on the schedule.
Yet we do require a positive outcome in this situation. I believe our chances of success are strong, but a successful weekend is obviously required.
