Max Verstappen sick but first: his message to rivals

Health problems do not affect the world champion.

Max Verstappen had to deal with a painful stomach ache in the days leading up to Formula 1’s trip to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. That did not stop him from taking the top spot in both the first and second free practice sessions on Friday. And the Red Bull champion spoke plainly to his rivals.

“For me to miss a race I would have to break both legs and both arms,” Verstappen told ‘Viaplay’ at the end of Friday’s day. “In any case, everything went well today, even though there are many small aspects in Red Bull that we can still improve on.

Indeed, according to Verstappen, the overpower shown by Red Bull in Bahrain may not be the same in Saudi Arabia. “Particularly in the long runs it seemed to me that we were all pretty close. This depends on the tires, as the degradation here is lower and allows everyone to push. I have a feeling that the times will be much closer here than they were in Bahrain,” explained the Dutchman.