Verstappen kept blurred vision problem secret during 2021 F1 title battle
World champion Max Verstappen confirms he suffered blurred vision problem in 2021 as consequence of his British GP accident
Max Verstappen says he and his Red Bull team kept a problem with blurred vision secret during his maiden Formula 1 title run in 2021.
The now three-time world champion prompted intrigue last week when an interview that appeared in Red Bull’s in-house magazine, the Red Bulletin, revealed difficulties he experienced after his huge crash at the 2021 British Grand Prix.
As part of a feature on his greatest wins, Verstappen revealed how much trouble he had faced competing at that year’s United States Grand Prix.
Watch: View from the Paddock - F1 News - Hungarian Grand Prix Thursday
"Since my Silverstone crash, I've been struggling with visibility problems, especially on undulating courses or those with lots of advertising boards along the side of the track,” he said.
“In this race, I wasn't just battling against Lewis, but also against blurry images.
"It was like driving a speedboat at 300 km/h (186mph)! I've never told you this before, but for a few laps it was so bad that I seriously considered turning the car off. The only thing that helped was concentrating on my breathing while Lewis was breathing down my neck.”
The quotes appeared briefly online before being removed, prompting questions over the reality of Verstappen's situation.
But asked ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix to clarify if the comments had been an accurate reflection of what he had experienced, Verstappen explained: “Yeah, it was just in '21. After that, it went away. But it did occur back then.”
He added: “It's not something that I would advise for people to have while driving. But we are racing drivers, you deal with all sorts of stuff.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B is loaded onto a truck after his crash
Photo by: Sutton Images
“Everyone is walking around here, but always here and there people have like little injuries or whatever. I mean, those things happen.”
Amid the closeness of the title fight that year, Verstappen said that only his inner circle knew about what was happening – and eventually they worked on a remedy to get rid of the issue.
Asked who he had spoken to about it at the time, he said: “People around the team and a specialist.”
He added: “[But] it got cured, luckily. I don't want to go into detail. No one needs to know.”
Share Or Save This Story
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Jon Noble: An unfair perception or a genuine concern? Lifting the lid on Red Bull’s Tsunoda scepticism
The hidden benefit of Verstappen’s new F1 deal that Red Bull wants to exploit
What Verstappen’s big deal means for his future, Red Bull and F1
Verstappen commits to Red Bull until end of F1 2030
The advice Marquez gave Hadjar over his wrist injury
FIA to hear McLaren and Red Bull's Monaco GP appeal next week
Could McLaren follow Red Bull’s path with its own F1 engine – and should it?
F1 Dutch GP: Russell controls sprint race as Leclerc overhauls Norris for second
Supercars Ipswich: Kostecki and Brown take a win each in hectic first day
Why Honda's new F1 engine comes with fresh but expected driveability issues
LIVE: F1 Dutch GP updates - Russell wins sprint race from Leclerc
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments