F1: Red Bull driver risked dehydration after drink bottle failure during US Grand Prix

It looked like a fairly comfortable race for Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez as he cruised from start to finish in third place. However, while he seemed to have a relatively quiet time on the track with no other cars closely ahead of behind him, he revealed that he was actually having a physical struggle in his cockpit due to an equipment malfunction.

The drink system on Checo's car failed even before the race started, with him informing his team that it was leaking just as he pulled his car up to the starting grid. There was no time to fix the situation, and the Mexican was unfortunately left with no water to sip on for the duration of the 56-lap race under the scorching Texas sun.

Perez started the race in third place, just behind Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and the other Red Bull of Max Verstappen, who was sitting on pole. When the race started, the Mercedes driver got a jump on the pole sitter, and thanks to a more advantageous spot on the left side of the grid, Hamilton managed to take the first corner ahead of the lead Red Bull.

Perez had to back off to avoid taking second position from his teammate, but that was pretty much all the action he had on track as Hamilton sped into the distance with Verstappen chasing closely behind.

Everyone was focused on the battle between the two leaders, with Verstappen eventually claiming the victory. Checo stayed in third place by his lonesome, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc comfortably behind by a good distance in fourth.

However, the "quiet afternoon" was actually one of the most demanding that the Mexican has ever had. After the race, he was seen leaning up against some equipment as he drank cans of fluid to rehydrate his body. Cameras caught him slumped down with his head close to his knees as he tried to quickly regain his strength.

"I struggled massively. Since Lap 1, I ran out of water, I couldn't drink at all," he said, when he finally had the strength to speak to Jenson Button for a post-race interview. "I think by the middle of the second stint it was starting to get pretty difficult, losing strength. I think my toughest ever physically," he shared.

In the end, it was a great result for Red Bull, with both their cars on the podium. Verstappen also extended his championship lead to 12 points, but Mercedes still leads the constructor's standings by 23 points.