George Russell has conceded that had he fallen ill over the
Singapore Grand Prix weekend, it probably would have prevented him
from competing in the gruelling event. The Yas Marina Street
Circuit is widely considered the toughest test, both physically and
mentally, on the F1 calendar, with the race reaching upwards of two
hours in length and the tight nature of the twisty track. This,
coupled with the extreme heat and humidity, makes it a formidable
challenge for F1 drivers, despite being highly-conditioned
athletes. Although Russell stormed up from fifth on the grid to
claim second place in the recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the British
driver was battling illness all weekend. Mercedes team principal
Toto Wolff confirmed it was touch and go as to whether the
four-time grand prix winner would be in his W16 as usual on the
Friday, with Valtteri Bottas waiting in the wings. However,
Russell, who missed media day on Thursday and many of his press
duties across the weekend, persevered. After his impressive drive
to the podium, he reflected on being under the weather. Speaking to
media, including RacingNews365 , he said: "Well, fortunately, it
was Baku. "Even though it’s one of the toughest circuits, mentally
and physically, it’s maybe one of the easiest. [On Sunday, I was]
much better. Friday and Saturday, I was really rough. "And had it
been Singapore, as an example, I think I probably would have called
it a day on Friday, to be honest, and probably wouldn’t have done
the race. "So, yeah, sort of fortunate timing. And I haven’t been
ill for a couple of years, actually, so it just all sort of hit me
at once these days, but I’m on the up now." Such is the test of
Singapore, it is not uncommon for drivers to lose around 5kg of
weight during the grand prix in the Southeast Asian city-state.
Last year, Russell and then-Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton both
missed their post-race media obligations there , having overheated
through the grand prix with extreme temperatures coming through the
seats in the cockpits of their W15s.
Singapore Grand Prix weekend, it probably would have prevented him
from competing in the gruelling event. The Yas Marina Street
Circuit is widely considered the toughest test, both physically and
mentally, on the F1 calendar, with the race reaching upwards of two
hours in length and the tight nature of the twisty track. This,
coupled with the extreme heat and humidity, makes it a formidable
challenge for F1 drivers, despite being highly-conditioned
athletes. Although Russell stormed up from fifth on the grid to
claim second place in the recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the British
driver was battling illness all weekend. Mercedes team principal
Toto Wolff confirmed it was touch and go as to whether the
four-time grand prix winner would be in his W16 as usual on the
Friday, with Valtteri Bottas waiting in the wings. However,
Russell, who missed media day on Thursday and many of his press
duties across the weekend, persevered. After his impressive drive
to the podium, he reflected on being under the weather. Speaking to
media, including RacingNews365 , he said: "Well, fortunately, it
was Baku. "Even though it’s one of the toughest circuits, mentally
and physically, it’s maybe one of the easiest. [On Sunday, I was]
much better. Friday and Saturday, I was really rough. "And had it
been Singapore, as an example, I think I probably would have called
it a day on Friday, to be honest, and probably wouldn’t have done
the race. "So, yeah, sort of fortunate timing. And I haven’t been
ill for a couple of years, actually, so it just all sort of hit me
at once these days, but I’m on the up now." Such is the test of
Singapore, it is not uncommon for drivers to lose around 5kg of
weight during the grand prix in the Southeast Asian city-state.
Last year, Russell and then-Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton both
missed their post-race media obligations there , having overheated
through the grand prix with extreme temperatures coming through the
seats in the cockpits of their W15s.
The post George Russell highlights perils of Singapore with illness admission appeared first on RacingNews365.