Verstappen reveals shock health issue since 2021 Hamilton crash

Max Verstappen has remarkably revealed from suffering with a problem with his vision since his crash at the 2021 British Grand Prix following a high-speed duel with Lewis Hamilton.

The incident was one of the flashpoints of a titanic season-long battle with the Red Bull and Mercedes drivers that culminated in the 26-year-old Dutchman winning his first title in controversial circumstances on the last lap of the final race of the year in Abu Dhabi.

On the opening lap of the race at Silverstone three years ago, Verstappen and Hamilton battled for the lead through the high-speed Copse corner, resulting in slight wheel-to-wheel contact that sent the former hurtling across the gravel and into a tyre barrier with a 51g impact.

The fallout from the race was considerable, and only now has it emerged that Verstappen is still suffering from the after-effects of what was a heavy shunt.

Speaking to the Red Bulletin on the top-10 wins from the 61 he has amassed over his F1 career, Verstappen highlighted the 2021 United States GP as number seven on his list.

Explaining why, it makes for remarkable reading as he said: “Since my Silverstone crash, I’ve been struggling with visibility problems, especially on undulating circuits or those with lots of advertising boards along the side of the track.

“In this race, I wasn’t just battling against Lewis, but also against blurry images. It was like driving a speedboat at 300 km/h!

“I’ve never told you this before, but for a few laps it was so bad that I seriously considered turning the car off.

“The only thing that helped was concentrating on my breathing while Lewis was breathing down my neck.

“An important victory that I desperately needed in the fight for the world championship.