George Russell said he abandoned plans to celebrate his brilliant Las Vegas Grand Prix victory by jumping in the Bellagio fountains after revealing he suffered a four-month battle with pneumonia.
Russell completed the most dominant drive of his life in a Mercedes which came alive on the Strip to take his third career win on Saturday night.
Russell’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton drove back from 10th to complete a British one-two for the Silver Arrows.
“I really wanted to do it (jump in the fountains), but I was so cold after the race I thought I would get super ill,” said the 26-year-old.
“This time last year I actually caught pneumonia and I was ill all the way into mid-February after Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi.
“So I was like, ‘I really want to do it’, but then I was thinking back to the struggles I had this time 12 months ago because it took such a toll on the body.”
Russell’s second win of the season – which takes him nine points clear of Hamilton in the championship standings – rarely looked in doubt after he nailed his start from pole position.
Hamilton was able to pick off the opposition at will to move up eight places in a Mercedes which starred in the cold desert conditions.
The 39-year-old seven-time world champion should have been in contention to challenge Russell but he was made to rue two mistakes in qualifying which left him way down the grid.
“If I’d done my job yesterday, it would have been a breeze today,” said Hamilton, who has just two races remaining with Mercedes before he joins Ferrari. “But it’s OK. I had fun coming from the back.
“We don’t know why we were so quick this weekend but that’s the nice. That’s the best the car has ever felt, so I’m grateful to have been a part of getting it to that point.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here