Weakened by a severe illness in Zandvoort, Max Verstappen assures he has regained his form before Monza. The Dutchman also reflects on his violent accident.
Max Verstappen will arrive in Monza in a very different state from the one he was in during his home Grand Prix. Visibly sick throughout the Zandvoort weekend, the four-time world champion has confirmed that he has now fully recovered.
The Red Bull driver had to deal with particularly severe flu-like symptoms in the Netherlands. A situation that accompanied an already difficult weekend on the sporting front, concluded right from the first lap by a spectacular accident in the last corner.
Verstappen reassured by Zandvoort’s protections
Only qualifying seventh in front of his home crowd, Verstappen lost control of his RB22 in the last raised corner while the track remained wet. His car violently hit the barriers before sliding across the track, immediately causing a red flag.
Despite the impressive violence of the off-track excursion, the Dutchman suffered no physical consequences. He explains that he was particularly impressed by the effectiveness of the SAFER barrier, a device composed of a steel structure combined with energy-absorbing elements.
“At the impact level, I felt fine because there was a SAFER barrier,” Verstappen explains before the Italian Grand Prix.
“It was the first time I hit one. It really did its job very well.”
The crash therefore left no particular sequelae for the Red Bull driver, unlike the illness which had already considerably weakened him even before taking the wheel.
“The whole week in Zandvoort was horrible”
Verstappen admits he was severely weakened during his home Grand Prix. His symptoms did not stop once the weekend ended as it took him several more days to return to a normal state.
“I was really very sick,” the Dutchman confides. “It is when you are fully recovered that you realize how nice it is to feel good, because the whole week in Zandvoort was horrible.”
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An unusual situation for Verstappen, who explains he has not experienced such a persistent illness for a very long time.
“Even after Zandvoort, for a few days, I still didn’t feel well.”
A welcome week of recovery
Unlike some particularly intense sequences in the calendar, Verstappen benefited from a full week without a Grand Prix between Zandvoort and Monza. A break that allowed him to rest and fully recover before getting back in the cockpit.
“It was really nice to have this week to recover and start feeling better again, because it had been a very long time since I felt so bad.”
The 28-year-old driver should therefore approach the Italian weekend without the physical problems that accompanied him in the Netherlands. Good news for Red Bull, which is already going through a difficult period on the sporting front.
Verstappen wants to bounce back in Monza
His accident on the first lap in Zandvoort prematurely ended what could have been his last home Grand Prix in Formula 1. He will now try to quickly turn the page at the Monza circuit.
The weekend will nevertheless start unusually as Verstappen will not participate in the first free practice sessions. Red Bull will entrust his RB22 to reserve driver Ayumu Iwasa during FP1 to fulfill regulatory obligations concerning running reserved for young drivers.
Verstappen will get back in his car from FP2 onwards, this time fully recovered from the illness that had severely handicapped him in Zandvoort.
After a Dutch weekend marked by illness and then a violent accident on the first lap, Verstappen can finally approach Monza in better conditions. And from what he says, simply regaining full control of his abilities is already a real relief.
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