Max Verstappen Flags Health Risks With Triple Headers as Kimi Antonelli, Valtteri Bottas Fall Sick

Max Verstappen has pointed out how difficult triple headers are in F1 amid both Kimi Antonelli and Valtteri Bottas falling sick ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver said that three races in a row are usually extremely difficult on the body, and sometimes it cannot take the stress anymore.

“It is of course always quite tough on your body, three weeks in a row. And sometimes you can get a little bit unlucky with, whatever, a stomach bug. It’s normally around this time of the year that not only drivers but mechanics and people in the team get sick,” Verstappen said during media day on Thursday ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix.

“Your body can take a lot of stress, but at one point, it also tells you when it needs a little recovery phase, and that’s something that you need to stay on top of. And some years it goes a bit better than others,” he added.

Earlier this season, the rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia in October meant that the F1 drivers endured a triple header, getting only a week’s break before going into another triple header. The Mexican Grand Prix this weekend will be followed by the Brazilian Grand Prix, ending the streak of consecutive race weekends started by the United States GP.

The F1 season then ends with another triple header spread across North America and Asia, which means that the 2026 season will end with nine races in 11 weeks, making for a hectic schedule.

Following Antonelli and Bottas pulling out of media duties due to illness in Mexico, hometown hero Sergio Perez has also pulled out of a fan event after falling sick on Friday, adding another name to the list.

Max Verstappen Explains His Biggest Issue With Triple Headers in F1

Verstappen has shared that the toughest part about triple headers in F1 for him is that he cannot go back to his family in between weekends. Most of the personnel working in the sport usually travel directly to the next race’s venue from the previous one when the races are on consecutive weekends.

“For sure it’s always very tough. And for me, the toughest bit is that you can’t really go home in between back to the family. So yeah, that for me is of course nowadays something that I do not really enjoy about triple headers,” said Verstappen.

Verstappen, who is now a father to a daughter, has stated that staying away from home often is now the hardest part of his job.

Max Verstappen Unbothered by Drivers’ Championship Position

Verstappen said that he does not care about his position in the 2026 drivers’ standings, as anything other than first is irrelevant. The 29-year-old said that he is only focused on making sure Red Bull can retain third in the constructors’ standings in the remaining five races of the year, beginning with the Mexican GP.

“I don’t really care, because it’s only about first. So for me, I don’t care if I’m second or fifth,” Verstappen said when asked about his championship position.

“The only thing that we want to try and achieve is to be P3 in the constructors’. That’s what I think the team wants, so that’s what we’ll try to do,” he added.

Verstappen currently sits fourth in the drivers’ standings with 236 points to his name. But the 73-time race winner is only four points off George Russell in second, making a runner-up finish a real possibility again this year for him.

Meanwhile, Red Bull sit third in the constructors’ championship, level on points with McLaren in fourth with 355 points, but ahead only on countback.

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