Max Verstappen blames F1 calendar demand after two drivers fall ill
Max Verstappen points to the toll of the current F1 calendar as fellow drivers fall ill.
Max Verstappen has pointed to the physical demands of the current Formula 1 calendar after two of his rivals were struck down by illness.
Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas missed Thursday’s media day duties at the Mexico City Grand Prix after both fell ill.
Antonelli’s Mercedes team said the 20-year-old Italian, who can clinch his first F1 world title on Sunday, had been excused from his media commitments so that he can rest and recover from a “viral illness”.
Bottas, meanwhile, also skipped media day, with Cadillac stating its driver was “unwell” with an unspecified illness.
Speaking about two of his colleagues coming down with illness, four-time world champion Verstappen suggested it is to be expected when coming towards the conclusion of a brutal season.
The 2026 F1 season calendar features a total of 23 races and is currently in the middle of its second of three triple-headers to end the campaign. 24 rounds were originally scheduled to take place but the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was cancelled earlier this year following the outbreak of war in the Middle East.
"It is, of course, always quite tough on your body, like three weeks in a row. Sometimes you can get a little bit unlucky with whatever, a stomach bug,” Verstappen told reporters in Mexico City.
"But it's normally around this time of the year that not only drivers, but mechanics and people in the team get sick. Because your body can take a lot of stress. But at one point, of course, it also tells you when it needs a little recovery phase.
"That's something that you need to stay on top of. And some years it goes a bit better than others. I think you try to learn about it as well a little bit with the more seasons that you do. Sometimes some things are things that you can't prevent. But for sure, it's always very tough.
"For me, the toughest bit is that you can't really go home in between to be back with the family. That, for me, is nowadays something that I do not really enjoy about triple-headers.”
Amid the ongoing unrest in the Middle East, uncertainty remains whether the F1 season will conclude as currently planned with races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi on 29 November and 6 December respectively.
If the aforementioned races are called off, F1 has a contingency plan to conclude the campaign at Imola after 22 rounds.
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