"Last year, you pulled around 5-6G in a corner, but I had some impacts like vertical load, which was like over 9G on my spine, which I can tell you is really not fun. And especially the older you get you think about that more and more. I can tell you from the checks that I've done from my spine, the bottom end doesn't look that great.

"I know that's part of racing, that can be part of sport, but it's also further damage from the cars that we had the last few years, and now if we continue finding this acceptable to drive on you are going to suffer with that much more."

Once he did take to the track for the first time, it became clear to Verstappen that his fears had been realised. "At turns 1 and 19, every time before I get there, I kind of lift myself out of my seat. Otherwise, it's just impossible to deal with," he said after Friday's two practice sessions.

Lando Norris has spoken before of having to take painkillers to deal with headaches from the constant oscillation. And Verstappen has admitted he has turned to tablets this time too, chuckling as he told Dutch broadcaster Viaplay: "Yeah, pop the pills!"

Yet, the stress and forces put through the body by racing at such high speeds take their toll over time. Verstappen joked ahead of the weekend that he will "probably need to order a new spine" by the time he is through racing in Austin for another year, but has also given an altogether more serious explanation of the probleds his body is facing as a result of his racing career.

He revealed how scans done because of pain in his feet revealed the issues he has in his back. He said: "At one point, we had a few scans done because I'd also sometimes had a lot of pain in my feet over the past few years."

The problem, he said, is with the discs in his lower back which no longer have the natural protection they once did, as a result of wear. Verstappen said: "There's nothing left there – it's just grey. These are things people don't often think about. We have to deal with them too, of course."

Big moments. Packed grandstands. A championship battle that’s heating up.

When the Formula 1 season delivers like this, watching from home just isn’t the same as being there when the lights go out.

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