Max Verstappen blames Lewis Hamilton as Red Bull F1 star reveals medical issues
Max Verstappen finally won the British Grand Prix for the first time in 2023 but also has some bad memories from Silverstone, such as his huge 2021 crash while battling with Lewis Hamilton
Max Verstappen said he suffered from problems with his sight for MONTHS after his infamous Silverstone crash in 2021.
In one of the most dramatic moments of the incredible title fight between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton that year, they collided while battling on the first lap of the British Grand Prix. The Dutchman was on the outside of Copse Corner and span off into the gravel after they touched, hitting the tyre barrier at an impact which generated around 51G of force.
The Red Bull racer opened up on the longer-term effects of the huge smash for the first time while speaking to company-owned magazine The Red Bulletin. In the special edition to mark the F1 outfit’s 20th anniversary, Verstappen named the 2021 US Grand Prix as one of his best ever victories.
Explaining why, the 26-year-old said he was still struggling with the after-effects of the crash from more than three months earlier. He said: “Many people don’t know this, but at the time I was still struggling with vision problems from my crash in Silverstone.
“So the track sometimes started to go really wavy for me and during that race I was battling, of course, Lewis catching me but at the same time battling myself because I was struggling with my vision. It was like riding a wave on a boat while going at 300kph.
“So I had to try to control my breathing in a different way to try to get rid of the problem – nothing else was working. For quite a number of laps, I was almost about to stop the car because I couldn’t see properly.
“It happened at tracks that were very bumpy or had loads of advertising boards. I never told anyone at that point as I had a world championship battle. That’s why for me it’s a really special win.”
Verstappen, of course, went on to come out on top in that title fight with a controversial victory at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen did not name that race as one of the top 10 in his career, despite it securing his first championship, and said as part of the lengthy interview feature: “I don’t think I would want to relive that year.”
He explained: “It was… very hectic. I think fighting for a first title is very difficult. Now, after winning three of them, to try to relive that first championship year… I think it would be very tough. But you know, when you’re in the situation, you just go for it. You try your best and things happen, but ideally I would not want to relive it.
“It was tough for the whole team as well. For quite a few years we were not able to fight for a title, then suddenly we were back in it. You could really feel the hunger to try to make this a success. I think, as a result, everyone was also still finding their feet. I definitely feel that now we are way more confident in our behaviour. I think we grew as a team.”
