Max Verstappen said he had vision difficulties for MONTHS following his catastrophic Silverstone incident in 2021.
Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton collided on the first lap of the British Grand Prix, making it one of the most dramatic moments of their amazing title battle that year. The Dutchman was on the outside of Copse Corner and sped off into the gravel when they collided, hitting the tyre barrier with a collision that generated around 51G of force.
In an interview with company-owned publication The Red Bulletin, the Red Bull racer spoke for the first time about the long-term consequences of the accident. Verstappen chose the 2021 US Grand Prix as one of his best wins in a special edition commemorating the F1 team’s 20th anniversary.
Explaining why, the 26-year-old stated that he was still dealing with the aftermath of the crash from more than three months ago. He explained: “Many people are unaware of this, but I was still suffering from eye problems as a result of my Silverstone collision.
“So the track became quite wavy for me at times, and during that race, I was battling Lewis, of course, but also battling myself because I was having visual problems. It was like riding a wave on a boat at 300 kilometres per hour.
“So I had to try to control my breathing in a new method to get rid of the problem because nothing else was working. For several laps, I was about to stop the car because I couldn’t see well.
“It happened on uneven tracks with lots of advertising boards. I never told anyone because I was competing for the world championship at the time. That’s “Why is this a really special win for me?” Verstappen, of course, won the title with a controversial victory at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen did not rank that race among his top ten in his career, despite it earning his first championship, and stated in the extensive interview feature: “I don’t think I would want to relive that year.”
He explained, “It was… really stressful. I believe fighting for a first title is quite difficult. Now, after three championships, I believe it would be difficult to relive that first championship year. But, when you’re in that circumstance, you simply go for it. You do your best, and things happen, but I would rather not revisit it.
“It was terrible for the entire squad as well. We were unable to compete for a title for several years, but then we were allowed to do so again. You could truly feel the desire to make this a success. I believe that as a result, everyone was still finding their feet. I totally feel that We now have a lot more confidence in our actions. I believe we matured as a team.
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