Formula 1 encountered a forced three-week-long break in the calendar with the Chinese Grand Prix withdrawing its participation. Initially, Max Verstappen felt it strange to have such a prolonged break in the second month of the season.
With over 40 days passed by since the first race of the season passed, only three races have happened so far. So, the break has brought in a pause which wasn’t required.
But in hindsight, Verstappen is grateful for receiving a long break, as he isn’t at his best physically. During the Australian Grand Prix, the Red Bull star revealed that he wasn’t feeling 100%. So, he reveals that the break came at the right time from his perspective.
Max Verstappen on his pre-Jeddah illness:
“At home I was really ill, I could barely walk around. It felt like I was missing a lung.
When I jumped in the car for FP1 [in Saudi], even just one performance lap I felt I had to recover for two laps to be able to breathe normally” pic.twitter.com/Wm6rWvzCJZ
— Autosport (@autosport) March 30, 2023
Max Verstappen is glad to have a break
In Australia, Verstappen won the race after a three-hour-long contest. However, over the weekend, he was clearly suffering from illness. But the unprecedented break gave him the desired rest.
“Well a couple of weeks ago I would say that I was not looking forward to it, but then I got really ill and have just been struggling a bit since that time, especially the last race out,” said Verstappen.
Verstappen adds that he used this break to return to full fitness and prepare for the upcoming races. The Dutchman will next race in the upcoming weekend when the F1 contingent flies to Azerbaijan.
No challenge for the title
Verstappen is yet again marching towards yet another championship conquest. With three races over, he has already secured two wins. His nearest rival this year is his own teammate Sergio Perez.
So, it’s only Verstappen’s title to lose. The above text isn’t mentioning that Perez wouldn’t want to give a title challenge, but it’s unanimously agreed across the paddock that over the season, the Dutchman is likely to come out better than his teammate.
After the Australian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton now hold the record for the most 1-2s for a driver pairing.
Wins – Lewis: 20, Max 14
Iconic Rivalry 🔥🐐 pic.twitter.com/hjj79DlDt3
— leonas🇱🇹 (@MV1Le0n) April 10, 2023
So, in a nutshell, Verstappen practically has no challenge for the title this year. He is likely to increase his title count to three with the form he is performing. Meanwhile, Mercedes, Ferrari, and Aston Martin are expected to fight for the runner-up spot in the standings.
Surprisingly, Ferrari had the worst start to the season among all the mentioned teams. The title challengers for last year are marred with misfortune this year and have only recorded 26 points in three races.
