Ongoing medical issues which caused Daiko Team Lazarus driver Zoël Amberg to sit out the fifth round of the 2015 GP2 series, once again caused the Swiss driver trouble when the series arrived in Hungary for the sixth round last weekend.
Although Amberg took part in Friday free practice at the Hungaroring, the Swiss driver admitted he felt physically uncomfortable in the single-seater when driving. The decision was then made before qualifying, with the opinion of a doctor that it would be best for Amberg to sit out for the remainder of the weekend.
This decision then sparked rumours that there were problems between the Swiss, his team and sponsors.
In a statement released on Tuesday evening, Amberg decided to settle these rumours: “…I wish to make it clear and want to let everybody know, that there are no problems whatsoever between me and the team or me and Team Principal Tancredi Pagiaro. I want to underline this fact and contradict rumours and gossip, which have been published through a not very serious media outlet.
According to these rumours I would be in conflict with Lazarus or there would be problems with the sponsors. None of this is true. We have been improving step by step and things went very well in Barcelona from my point of view.”
“This is not an easy situation for me. A sportsman, who is at the arena, but unlike his colleagues, cannot compete. This is all very sad and frustrating, but my actual physical conditions do not allow me to race a car without feeling sick and causing me an overall physical discomfort,” continued Amberg. “All these symptoms came back here in Budapest. Now, when I’m driving after the two accidents in Monte Carlo, I feel some sort of pressure on the cranium or develop a headache. So far medical tests couldn’t reveal the cause.”
Amberg had his license suspended for 15 days by the FIA before the race in Silverstone and admitted that the problems had started when he competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in an LMP2 car.
“The symptoms were also back at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where I started with a LM P2 car. Here the discomfort was much less, maybe because of the lower G-forces compared to the ones in a single-seater. I don’t have any problems in everyday life. And even when my license got suspended for 15 days by the FIA before the race in Silverstone, I practiced some sport without any problems. Next week I’ll undergo some in-depth exams and let’s hope that we find the cause for my malaise.”
