Why Max Verstappen is worried F1 drivers could get ‘sick’ before the end of the season

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Max Verstappen heads into the final six races of the season looking to defend his title. He could become just the fifth driver in Formula 1 history to win four on the bounce.

Verstappen holds a 52-point lead over McLaren rival Lando Norris, who requires one of the greatest comebacks the sport has ever seen. Norris is boosted by the fact that there are three Sprints remaining, opening up more opportunities to take points away from the Dutchman.

Verstappen may also face another engine penalty before the season is out. He already received a grid drop in Belgium but there are murmurs of another, while Norris’ power units are expected to last.

During his eight-race winless streak, Verstappen has fought to preserve his lead rather than extend it. It’s likely to shrink in the next couple of months, but the pace of the reduction will be key.

Norris will have to at least halve the deficit before the season finale in Abu Dhabi to take the fight to the wire. One more victory for Verstappen could settle their battle for good.

The season resumes at the end of next week in Austin, the first leg of a triple-header before stops in Mexico City and Brazil. After one final three-week break, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi close the season in quick succession.

Max Verstappen says long-haul flights could take their toll on F1 drivers

Speaking to RacingNews365, Verstappen raised concerns about the configuration of the calendar. He’s particularly worried by the flight from Las Vegas to Qatar in late November, which will likely take between 16 and 19 hours.

While the race in Vegas takes place on a Saturday night local time, it will still be a tight turnaround, with teams looking to get set up in Qatar by the time they leave the track on Wednesday. They’ll also have to deal with a 10-hour time difference.

Theoretically, it would make more sense for Las Vegas to follow the US Grand Prix, where the flight time would be less than three hours. But the calendar is at times dictated by commercial interests rather than logistics.

F1 bosses would point out that drivers and teams have been afforded a four-week break after Singapore, only a couple of months on from the summer shutdown. But Verstappen is still concerned about the risk of fatigue and sickness.

• READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

“I’ve always said that there are a lot of races on the F1 calendar, but for me the biggest problem is crossing multiple time zones, like between Las Vegas and Qatar,” he said. “You’re almost flying to the other side of the world again.

“I think that for triple headers we can work better with races that are a bit closer together. That would make more sense in my opinion.

“That’s something we have to look at. A lot of it depends on ticket sales, of course. But at the end of the day, you have to find some kind of middle ground, right?”

“The flight from Vegas to Qatar is a long one. Then you fly from Qatar to Abu Dhabi and that is fine. That is not the problem. But at the end of the season, when you start to get a bit tired, you also get sick a bit more easily. The many long flights do not help with that.”

The moment Max Verstappen’s racing career nearly ended before Red Bull success

Verstappen loves racing – that much is clear. It’s why he regularly takes part in online events when he’s not behind the wheel of an F1 car.

But one could question whether he really loves Formula 1. He no doubt enjoys the driving, but has repeatedly criticised the way the sport is run and covered.

Verstappen faces ‘community service’ from the FIA after swearing in a press conference before the Singapore GP. He could refuse to serve his punishment, but that would only carry a harsher sanction.

Back in 2014, Verstappen’s career was at risk due to a lack of funding. Fortunately, Red Bull signed him on the back of his Euro F3 campaign, when he otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford a seat in GP2.