Verstappen struggles with hand injury throughout the weekend: "I try not to dwell on it too much"

Max Verstappen has been grappling with a hand injury since the start of the weekend. The Red Bull Racing driver experienced a sprained finger on Thursday morning, although he remains unsure of how it occurred. Fortunately, Verstappen anticipates no issues for the remainder of the weekend. The pain has gradually diminished over the past few days, and while behind the wheel, the driver is not preoccupied with his sore finger.

After qualifying, something caught Verstappen's attention: he had a piece of bandage on his right hand. According to Verstappen, the pain in his hand is not severe. "I just sprained my finger a bit," Verstappen stated as quoted by Autosport. "My hand was bothering me a little. It improved during the Saturday sessions, but initially, I couldn't grip it tightly. However, now everything is completely fine."

The injury remains a mystery even to the reigning world champion himself. According to Verstappen, there wasn't a specific moment when the pain began. "I'm not sure. It happened on Thursday morning. Perhaps I placed my hand incorrectly or exerted pressure in the wrong way. It's quite strange," Verstappen explained. Earlier this season, Lance Stroll experienced a more severe hand injury. The Aston Martin driver had broken wrists but was still able to drive normally at the beginning of the season.

Verstappen: "Adrenaline takes over"

The remainder of the weekend is not expected to be jeopardized for Verstappen. Even if the pain were to worsen, the driver is determined to get in his car without expecting any issues behind the wheel of his Red Bull. "The adrenaline will take over anyway. When I'm driving, I don't dwell on it too much either. It was a bit more challenging on Friday, but during qualifying, it went quite well," stated the two-time world champion.