Russell finished third on the podium in Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to help Mercedes secure second place in the constructors’ championship ahead of F꧙errari. 

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

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

“Then I've had a horren🐬dous cough that stayed 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 featu🐷red 22 races and next year’s calendar will be F1’s longest-ever season with 24 grands prix. 

Alpine’s Estebaജn Ocon, who was also ill over the Abu Dhabi weekend, said the body is “not designed” for 24 races a year.&n𝕴bsp;

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 fr🌳om every single person in this paddock, the way we travel. We're in a very fortunate position. 

“But everybody up and down the paddoc♈k - I've got so many mechanics who are ill, people in the engineers’ office, just really struggling with the con♊stant time zone shifts. 

“The body not knowing where you ar⭕e, eating at different times, staying in di🀅fferent hotels, different environments, different climates. 

“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 thi🐻nk that would be a good thing. 

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