Lando Norris had been suffering with tonsillitis last weekend in Barcelona, according to McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl.
This comes after Lando Norris took eighth position in the Spanish Grand Prix, earning four points for McLaren after finishing outside the top 10 in the previous race in Miami.
And, as it was known that he had been increasingly ill in the weeks leading up to Sunday’s race, his feat was far more spectacular than it appeared.
Norris had remarked about how he’s been struggling to sleep and raise energy in recent days, and he was sick to the point of missing the pre-race national anthems and being unable to promptly complete his post-race media obligations.
However, the McLaren driver was impressive after he overcame sickness to finish eighth in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix, despite his team principal declaring he will recuperate before next weekend’s race in Monaco.
Norris started the race from P11 after missing the cut in the second round of qualifying and despite the gruelling conditions in the cockpit due to the hot 36C air temperature at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, he gained a position on the first lap and went on to earn two more positions by the finish.
The Briton was unavailable for post-race paddock interviews, but was quoted in the team’s press statement.
“Today was tough… I was feeling really unwell before the race as I’m suffering with tonsillitis, and that, in combination with the high temperatures, made this one of the hardest races I’ve ever done.”
“I’ve been a bit on the backfoot this weekend as most of my energy has been spent fighting off this illness. I’ve had to miss a lot of engineering sessions, which has compromised my weekend.”
“I definitely wasn’t as prepared for the Grand Prix as I could have been,” he added. “With that in mind, I’m really pleased to have come out of the race with decent points for the team.”
Andreas Seidl, the McLaren team manager, did appear in front of the media to explain the issue.
“Obviously you’re not feeling well all weekend when your energy levels being low with the tonsillitis he was suffering from,” he said.
“It was a very challenging race, especially in these hot temperatures, so he was pretty flat at the end of the race, and after the race.
“I can’t thank him enough for battling through,” Seidl continued. “He showed a great fighting spirit, because in the end it enabled us to score these four points today. It was just great to see the commitment from his side.”
Daniel Ricciardo, Norris’ teammate, started two positions ahead of him in P9 but ended up finishing P12.
“it was just a struggle from the start,” Ricciardo said after the race.
Seidl complimented the team’s “excellent medical support” for Norris, who had been evaluated prior to the start of the race to ensure he was fit to compete.
“We obviously have a doctor involved in decisions like that and we would never risk the health of Lando, just to be clear on that,” he added. “But after the doctor gave the green light today, and after it was also clear from Lando’s side that he wanted to give it a go, we went for it.”
He went on to say that the race was now on to get Norris in shape for the Monaco Grand Prix next weekend.
“We need to make sure he gets some good rest now in the next four days before we then go again in Monaco.”
If Norris is unable to compete in Monaco, McLaren can call upon Mercedes Formula E drivers Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne to fill in for him.
