Albon ready to race but wary of intensive care toll

Thai Formula One driver Alex Albon on Thursday said he has recovered after appendicitis surgery but is wary of the toll on his body of his stint in intensive care as he prepares for the toughest race of the season in Singapore.

The 26-year-old Williams racer missed the Italian Grand Prix three weeks ago after falling ill before Saturday's final practice and qualifying.

He spent a night in intensive care after suffering respiratory failure due to post-operative anaesthetic complications.

“In terms of actually the surgery side, I’m not worried about that at all,” Albon told reporters at Singapore's Marina Bay street track.

“I know that’s fully recovered. It’s more just the after effects of being in intensive care and the toll that has on your body.”

He added that the humidity in Singapore causes difficulties for drivers and it is “the hardest race of the year”.

“I feel these cars are quite different, maybe not quicker, but they are physical in their own way.

“They are so stiff, it’s a different toll on your body.”

The Singapore race is a night event but drivers have to cope with heat, humidity and relentless corners for up to two hours in Sunday's race.

Many of them train in saunas or with multiple layers of clothing to simulate the race demands.

Albon said he had to build his training routine back up steadily, starting on Monday last week.

“It’s quite a tricky one, because you’re basically waiting for your lungs to recover.

“At the same time your body can’t move as well as it normally can, so you can’t just jump back into normal training, you have to slowly build into it.”

Albon, who was replaced by Nyck de Vries in Monza, added he feels ready to race on Sunday but will assess his fitness after Friday practice.

“Like I said, I’m not planning to not race.

“Truthfully, I feel pretty confident in my body, but of course nothing quite compares to the actual toll of driving these cars.”