Rꦛussell finished third on the podium iꦜn Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to help Mercedes secure second place in the constructors’ championship ahead of Ferrari. 

The Briton revealed earlier in the 🐲Abu Dhabi weekend that he had been strཧuggling with illness for the past two weeks.

“𝓰Firstly, in Vegas with a big fever, I couldn't sleep and just felt awful,” Russell explained in the post-race press conference. 

“Then I've had a horrendoജus cough that sta𓃲yed with me all week and in the car. I was coughing every single lap but when you're strapped into the car, you can't breathe. 

“🙈You can't take a deep breath in to get the cough out. So, it was just constantly with me. It was pretty miserable. So, I was pleased to bring it home when I saw that chequered flag.” 

2023 featured 22 races and next year’s c🥂🐲alendar will be F1’s longest-ever season with 24 grands prix. 

Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, who was also ill over the Abu Dhabi weekend, said the body is “not desi🌼gned”꧅ for 24 races a year. 

Asked how much he thinks F1 needs to consider the wellbeing of everyone in the paddock, Russell replied: “I think the drivers, we have it best from every single person in this paddock, the way we travel.🥂 We're in a very fortunate position. 

“But everyb�♔�ody up and down the paddock - I've got so many mechanics who are ill, people in the engineers’ office, just really struggling with the constant time zone shifts. 

“The body not knowing where you are, eating at different times, staying in differen🎃t hotels, different envꦿironments, different climates. 

ജ“The body's getting confused. I think ♚there are talks for next year about personnel being regulated that they can't do every single race. I think that would be a good thing. 

🤪“I don't think it's sustainable to 4,000 people, I think it is, to do 24 races a seas♍on, especially when you see how geographically it still doesn't make a huge amount of sense.”