MAX VERSTAPPEN says he felt like he was "missing a lung" when he raced in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman, who was battling a virus, went from 15th on the grid to finish second behind team-mate Sergio Perez.
He also set the fastest lap of the race to score a bonus point that means he leads the drivers' championship ahead of this weekend's Australian GP.
The reigning world champion says he is still not fully-fit and will use the three-week break before the Azerbaijan GP to get back to full health.
Verstappen said: "I was not looking forward to the break but then I got really ill and I have just been struggling since that time.
"I refused to believe in myself for a long time because, at home, I was really ill. I could barely walk around and I felt like I was missing a lot.
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"I got to Saudi Arabia believing that the virus was gone because normally when you get sick, after two or three days you are alright and you can do your workouts.
"But then I jumped into the car for practice, and even after just one lap, I felt like I had to recover for two laps to be able to breathe normally.
"It felt like I was missing a lung.
"It definitely did affect me, which I didn't like because it was one of the first races where I felt like I was physically limited.
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"That's really frustrating when you're out in the car, but since then I've been trying to work on it, trying to improve it, and it has improved a lot.
"But for me now these next three weeks are just about getting back to full fitness. Hopefully for the rest of the year it should be okay."
Verstappen is hoping to make it three world championship wins in a row this season and his car is supposedly the fastest ever, according to rival Lewis Hamilton.
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