Lando Norris talks about his tonsillitis: 'It was like swallowing daggers'

Lando Norris had a very mixed week. If he finished in the points in Barcelona (8th) and Monaco (6th and the point for the best lap), the pilot McLaren will have suffered in his flesh because of tonsillitis. The Briton spoke of this disease and its painful consequences in a column published Tuesday for The Telegraph. Lando Norris particularly talks about his difficulties breathing or even swallowing anything. Diagnosed with the disease the Thursday before the Spanish GP, Norris tells us that his symptoms worsened as the Catalan weekend progressed. “ Cold sweats, fever, muscle pain... On Sunday, my throat was so sore, it was like swallowing daggers. I could barely drink because it hurt so much. I threw up everything I had swallowed five minutes later. Breathing in the car was also a real pain, especially with a racing heart rate and the Spanish heatwave. The heat, the carbon fumes coming from the brakes…it was not a pleasant experience.« 

ALSO READ > How Lando Norris woke up McLaren

6th & fastest lap. Just you wait until I'm back @ 100% pic.twitter.com/blxEnA6FiA

- Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) May 29, 2022

Lando Norris also specified that, for the first time, he had to request the addition of a bottle of water, he who saved it to lighten his McLaren. “ I had to take a sip every round. Otherwise, I would collapse. » Fortunately, the Briton's condition improved and he was able to perform during the Monaco round. Like most of his competitors on the grid, Norris wanted the Monaco Grand Prix to remain on the calendar of the F1 for the coming years : " Not only is the circuit iconic, it is also an incredible test of your nerves and your driving. When you're "in the zone", like I was for the last 10 laps, it was fantastic. And the qualifying experience is even better (…). Of course, I wish there were changes to make the race better. But it's difficult with cars this heavy and measuring more than 2 meters wide. I heard Toto wolff (executive director of Mercedes F1. Editor’s note) suggest removing the port chicane after the tunnel to have a long straight. It could work, but the approach speed at the next braking would be around 300 km/h, that's pretty high knowing that there is no escape route to pull straight on! »

Finally, Lando Norris says in conclusion that he watched at home, having moved to Monaco this winter, the 500 miles of Indianapolis and the victory of Marcus Ericsson on Sunday evening, and spoke of his desire to race the 24 Hours of Le Mans. " I'm not sure you'll see me compete in the Indy 500, although I'd love to try my luck in Endurance A day. Le Mans is one of my goals. But for now, my focus is entirely on F1. » In 2018, Lando Norris participated in the 24 Hours of Daytona with United Autosports, alongside Fernando Alonso and Philip Hanson (13th in Proto class).