Red Bull’s Sergio Perez has revealed he struggled physically for much of the United States Grand Prix after falling ill on Sunday morning.
Prior to the race, Perez was hit with a case of diarrhoea, which can rapidly cause the body to lose fluids.
Despite rehydrating prior to the start of the race, a water bottle issue meant the Mexican had no fluids to consume throughout the hot race in Texas.
Perez ended the race in third place, crossing the line over 40 seconds behind his race-winning team-mate Max Verstappen.
“It was a horrible one,” Perez reflected to Sky F1. “I was suffering from some diarrhoea during the morning.
“I rehydrated myself really well but then from lap one onwards, I ran out of drink. Already from the first stint I was struggling really, really massively to take things properly.
“I was really losing out in strength and it was really difficult. Especially the last 30, 40 laps were extremely tough.”
Although Perez endured a difficult outing, his efforts allowed Red Bull to gain on Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship, as it now sits just 23 points behind their rivals.
With the next round taking place in Perez’s home country of Mexico, the former Racing Point driver is confident that the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez should be a strong track for Red Bull.
“We got a nice boost [in the US], I’m looking forward so much to Mexico,” Perez said. “Today was just a shame I couldn’t keep up with Max and Lewis.
“I was physically limited today but I look forward to Mexico. Mexico should be another good track for us.”
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