Max Verstappen, the three-time world champion, has revealed that he suffered serious vision problems for a while. He attributes this directly to the severe crash he had with Lewis Hamilton at the Silverstone circuit in 2021.
During the British Grand Prix, rivals Hamilton and Verstappen collided at Copse Corner. The result was a severe crash with an impact of a whopping 51G for Max Verstappen. Hamilton still managed to win the race, while Verstappen had to be taken to the hospital for further examinations.
Max Verstappen: ‘Blurred Vision’
“Since my crash at Silverstone, I’ve been struggling with vision problems, especially on bumpy circuits or circuits with a lot of billboards along the side,” Verstappen explains. “During the United States Grand Prix in Austin in 2021, I was not only fighting against Lewis but also against my blurred vision. It felt like I was driving a speedboat at 300 kilometers per hour.”
Verstappen reveals that he considered giving up that race, a few months after the crash at Silverstone. “I’ve never told this before, but it was so bad for a few laps that I seriously considered parking the car. The only thing that helped was focusing on my own breathing, while Lewis was breathing down my neck.”
In the end, Verstappen won that race. “That was an important victory that I desperately needed in the fight for the world championship,” says Verstappen.
