Max Verstappen reveals illness in challenging Red Bull test

Max Verstappen has revealed that he has been unwell throughout this week’s five-day test in Barcelona, making it a challenging period for Red Bull.

The four-time world champion’s time in the RB22 was spread out across the test, with his first outing coming during the Tuesday morning session.

Following Isack Hadjar’s heavy crash that afternoon, Verstappen was unable to complete any further running until Friday.

Verstappen drove for the entirety of the final day and set the fifth-quickest lap, clocking a 1m 17.586. In addition, the Dutchman completed 118 laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Hadjar’s crash made the week significantly more challenging than it needed to be for the Milton Keynes-based outfit, although Verstappen has insisted that it was still a positive week.

"We learned a lot, even though I wasn’t able to drive very much on the first morning. We will now analyse all the data," said Verstappen.

"It’s clear that there are still many things we want to improve, but I think that’s normal. Overall, the fact that we were able to do so many laps this week with a new engine is positive. 

"It’s a good start, but it’s also still very early in the year."

During the post-Friday interview, Verstappen sounded unwell, before confirming that he had been ill across the week.

"By the start of the season, I’m sure I’ll be feeling better…" he said.