George Russell has revealed that a sudden bout of stomach cramps was the reason behind his absence from the post-race FIA press conference following the Miami Grand Prix — a problem he believes may have been self-inflicted.
Despite clinching third place in the action-packed event, the Mercedes driver was forced to head straight to the medical centre after the podium celebrations instead of speaking to media, citing severe abdominal pain in the final laps of the race.
The Briton believes the culprit might have been an ill-advised breakfast indulgence.
“I was enjoying it [the race] but for the last 15 laps I got this horrendous stomach cramp and I’m struggling a lot now,” Russell explained to F1 TV.
“Like I can’t stand straight because my stomach is really causing me grief so I need to understand what went wrong there.
“I had a slightly bigger breakfast than normal so that might be the reason, but I feel like I’ve got… I don’t know what I’ve got in there. So I’m struggling a bit, but I’m going to take this result.”
While his sudden absence from the presser made the headlines post-race, Russell’s performance on track was a welcome recovery after a difficult weekend.
Out-qualified by rookie teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix qualifying sessions, Russell admitted he had been off the pace in Miami.
“Yeah, to be honest, really happy to come away with P3 because I’ve been struggling this weekend, personally, and always on the back foot,” Russell told Jenson Button in parc fermé.
“But ultimately, when it mattered, got a really good result today. But well done to the McLarens – they’re just down the road.”
A timely Virtual Safety Car helped vault Russell into podium contention, and though Max Verstappen tried to reel him back in, the Briton held firm.
“I was pretty calm and I felt really good with the car to keep him behind me, so it was good,” he concluded.
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