Lando Norris Details How Tonsillitis Affected Him At F1 Spanish, Monaco GPs

The young McLaren driver detailed major symptoms that plagued him ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, including barely being able to drink due to throat pain.

IMAGO / PanoramiC

Lando Norris penned a column for The Telegraph this week, not only recounting what it was like racing at the beginning of the Monaco Grand Prix in the rain but also how severe his tonsillitis symptoms were in Barcelona a week prior. 

The McLaren driver commented on the Saturday prior to the Spanish Grand Prix how he was suffering with his throat and eyes, inhibiting his sight. It was revealed a day later, after finishing eighth and scoring points for the team, that he was diagnosed with tonsillitis. 

Norris revealed in The Telegraph that his diagnosis came the Thursday before the Spanish Grand Prix and his symptoms “got progressively worse through that race weekend; cold sweats, fever, aching muscles.”

“By Sunday my throat was so sore it was like swallowing daggers,’ Norris said. “I could barely drink because it hurt so much. Anything I did get down I would throw up again five minutes later anyway.”

The 22-year-old went on to describe how breathing was “a real struggle in the car” that weekend, partially thanks to the scorching heat. His trainer and McLaren’s team doctor stayed with Norris in Monaco early last week, and by the time his parents arrived for the Grand Prix weekend on Thursday, he was “just about back up and running, although I did cancel all of my media commitments as I could barely speak.” 

Fast forward through the heavy rain, red flags and chaos that filled the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, Norris came in sixth. He now sits in seventh in the driver’s standings, just two points behind seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and 35 points behind his former teammate Carlos Sainz.