Max Verstappen’s preparations for this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix certainly haven’t been ideal, with the Dutchman having suffered from a stomach bug over recent days.
Whilst the Bahrain Grand Prix winner is “feeling fine again”, Friday morning is the first time he’ll be seen in the paddock at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, after delaying his flight so that he could get over the worst of his unsettled stomach.
Verstappen revealed on social media that he’d been suffering from a brief illness, but that he is absolutely fine for the weekend ahead.
“(I’m) feeling fine again, after not being fit for a few days with a stomach bug,” Verstappen told his fans on Twitter.
READ: Could Max Verstappen be forced to miss the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP?
“Therefore, I, unfortunately, had to postpone my flight for a day, so I won’t be on the track until Friday.
“See you in Jeddah!”
Shortly after Verstappen confirmed that he’d be absent from the usual Thursday press conferences, Red Bull released their own message on Twitter.
The Milton Keynes-based team explained that the FIA had agreed to allow Verstappen to fly a day later and miss his usual Thursday media duties, due to having been ill.
“Max has been suffering from a stomach illness over the past few days and, with the agreement of the FIA, will not be present at track today,” Red Bull wrote on Twitter.
“Feel better, Max.”
With Verstappen having confirmed that he is feeling better, one of his fan pages saw the funny side of the reigning world champion’s week, by posting an image of the Dutchman as a child on the toilet.
READ: Max Verstappen sings George Russellโs praise as he targets Lewis Hamilton defeat
“Leaked photo of Max in his apartment in Monaco,” wrote the fan page, accompanied by a photo of the Dutchman sitting on the toilet as a child.
Verstappen will be targeting a second consecutive victory in Saudi Arabia this weekend, with the double world champion having won the race last season, following an excellent duel with Charles Leclerc.
If the Red Bull driver does win this weekend, then he’ll become the first driver since Sebastian Vettel in 2018 to win the two opening races of the season, something the German did whilst at Ferrari.