Max Verstappen says he was "physically limited" at Saudi Arabian Grand Prix earlier this month due to illness; "At home I was really ill, I could barely walk around. I felt like I was missing a lung!" - watch Australian GP live on Sky Sports F1 between Friday and Sunday
Thursday 30 March 2023 16:51, UK
Max Verstappen says he felt he was "missing a lung" ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and that the illness left him "physically limited" during the race weekend.
The reigning world champion missed his Thursday media commitments in Jeddah two weeks ago before returning to his car for free practice on Friday.
Verstappen ended up second to Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in the race, surging through the field after starting in 15th place following a driveshaft issue in qualifying.
Speaking ahead of this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen revealed his illness took a while to overcome.
The Dutchman said: "I refused to believe it myself for a long time. At home I was really ill, I could barely just walk around. I felt like I was missing a lung!
"I got to the weekend really believing [the illness] was gone, because normally when you get sick, two or three days afterwards you're alright, you can just do your work.
"But then when I jumped in the car in FP1, even with just one performance lap I felt like I had to recover for two laps to be able to breathe normally.
"It definitely did affect me throughout the weekend, which I didn't like. It was one of the first races where I felt I was physically limited, and that's really frustrating when you're in the car.
"Since then I've been trying to work on it, trying to improve it, and I do think it has improved a lot so this weekend should be alright."
The cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix means there will be a lengthy gap between the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday and the next race in Azerbaijan on April 30.
Verstappen added: "For me now this three weeks [between the Australian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix] is just for getting back to full fitness and getting a full [training] programme in.
"In a way, it's probably nice now. Normally if you feel well, I'd just prefer to keep racing."
Thursday
3:30am: Australian F1 Grand Prix: Drivers Press Conference
10:45pm: F3 Practice
Friday
12am: F2 Practice
2:30am: Australian F1 Grand Prix: Practice One (Build-up from 2am)
4am: F3 Qualifying
6am: Australian F1 Grand Prix: Practice Two (Build-up from 5.45am)
7:30am: F2 Qualifying
8am: The F1 Show Live: Australia
Saturday
12:45am: F3 Sprint
2:30am: Australian F1 Grand Prix: Practice Three (Build-up from 2.15am)
4:20am: F2 Sprint
6am: AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING (Build-up from 5:15am)
8am: Ted's Qualifying Notebook
Sunday
12:05am: F3 Feature Race
2:35am: F2 Feature Race
4:30am: Grand Prix Sunday - Australian GP Build-up
6am: THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
8am: Chequered flag: Australian GP Reaction
9am: Ted's Notebook
Sky Sports F1 viewers can experience live races from inside the car of their favourite driver thanks to a stunning new innovation for the 2023 season.
Sky customers with a Sky Sports F1 subscription just need to download the Sky Sports App and log in to ride with Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc or any driver of their choice.
In addition to the 20 driver onboard streams, viewers will also be able to experience the Sky Sports 'Battle Channel', a split-screen offering focusing on a battle between up to three cars.
If you prefer to jump onboard through your TV screen, the service will also be available through Sky Q and Sky Glass.
Ted Kravitz has been looking ahead to the Australian GP and what storylines we can expect from the third GP of the season. Listen to the Sky Sports F1 Podcast on Spotify.
This is in addition to the Race Control streams that have been available in previous seasons, including multi-screen, timing screen, driver tracker and onboard mix.
Formula 1 is back Down Under! Watch the Australian Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend, with Sunday's race live at 6am. Get Sky Sports
