Max Verstappen reveals illness in challenging Red Bull’s…read more
Max Verstappen has revealed that illness played a significant role in what proved to be a demanding week for Red Bull during the five-day Formula 1 test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The four-time world champion admitted he was unwell throughout the entirety of the private shakedown, adding another layer of difficulty to an already disrupted testing programme for the Milton Keynes-based team. Despite the challenges, Verstappen remains optimistic about the progress made with Red Bull’s new machinery.
Red Bull’s testing schedule was far from straightforward. Verstappen’s first opportunity behind the wheel came during the Tuesday morning session, where he completed limited running before handing the car over later that day. However, the team’s plans were dramatically altered following a heavy crash involving rookie driver Isack Hadjar in the afternoon session, which caused substantial damage to the car.
The incident forced Red Bull to halt track activity while repairs were carried out, resulting in Verstappen missing all running until the final day of the test on Friday. With valuable track time lost earlier in the week, the Dutchman was tasked with completing a full day of running to recover as much data as possible.
Despite feeling under the weather, Verstappen completed an impressive workload on Friday. He logged 118 laps around the Barcelona circuit and set the fifth-fastest lap time of the entire test, recording a best effort of 1m 17.586s. The mileage proved particularly important for Red Bull, as the team continues to refine its package ahead of the 2026 season, including the integration of a new power unit.
While the week did not unfold as smoothly as Red Bull had hoped, Verstappen stressed that the overall outcome was still encouraging.
“We learned a lot, even though I wasn’t able to drive very much on the first morning,” Verstappen explained. “Now we will analyse all the data we collected.”
He acknowledged that there are clear areas where improvements are needed, but emphasised that this is to be expected at such an early stage of development.
“It’s obvious that there are still many things we want to improve, but that’s completely normal,” he said. “The positive thing is that we managed to complete a lot of laps with a new engine, and that gives us valuable information.”
Verstappen also underlined that it would be premature to draw major conclusions from the test, given how early the development phase still is.
“It’s a good start, but it’s still very early in the year,” he added.
During his media appearance following Friday’s running, Verstappen noticeably sounded unwell, prompting questions about his condition. The Red Bull driver later confirmed that he had been battling illness throughout the week, which further limited his comfort and performance behind the wheel.
“By the start of the season, I’m sure I’ll be feeling better,” Verstappen said confidently, downplaying any long-term concerns.
Red Bull will now turn its focus to analysing the large volume of data collected during the test, particularly from Verstappen’s extensive final-day run. With further development work planned before competitive running begins, the team remains confident that the issues encountered in Barcelona will not define its early-season prospects.
Although the test week presented more obstacles than expected, Verstappen’s resilience and Red Bull’s ability to adapt ensured that valuable progress was still made—setting the foundation for further refinement in the months ahead.
