Max Verstappen is known for his love of esports, having participated in sim racing sessions with Team Redline during Formula 1 race weekends this season.
On one occasion, Verstappen’s late-night sim racing sessions landed him in hot water when he stayed up until 3 am on iRacing during the morning of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman would go on to have a frustrating race from third on the grid, dropping back after a series of strategy errors from the team. Verstappen’s temper boiled over team radio after the mistakes, swearing at engineer Gianpiero Lambiase and criticising the decisions made by FIA stewards.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has since said that Verstappen will no longer take part in late-night sessions, but is still free to participate in sim racing events on F1 race weekends.
Discussing his love of esports with the Daily Mail, Verstappen has credited it with being key to helping him stay ‘sharp’ outside of racing in F1.
Max Verstappen says esports helps keep him ‘sharp’ outside of F1
F1 drivers are always looking to maximise their chances outside of the car and esports presents a great opportunity to stay sharp mentally, while also replicating some of the conditions they experience in a race.
Testing in F1 is heavily regulated, which is why teams utilise simulators to test new parts and help drivers stay sharp while they are out of the car.
For a while, Verstappen travelled with a simulator in his motorhome and even used it to win a virtual 24 hours of Nurburgring in May with Team Redline. The Dutchman has shed some light on how it helps him be successful in the real world.
“Honestly, it keeps me sharp,” said Verstappen. “In my opinion, you’re doing the same thing as F1. Hitting the wall doesn’t hurt but everything else in terms of overtaking, defending, pit stops, strategy and working on set-up — there are so many similarities with sim (virtual) racing. Naturally, I like to win in real life but also in the virtual world.”
Red Bull will keep Max Verstappen ‘happy’ if they sack Sergio Perez
One of the main reasons Red Bull lost the Constructors’ title this year was down to the poor form of Sergio Perez, who only managed to score 15% of their total points this season.
It has been one of the worst seasons at the team for the Mexican since he joined them in 2021, having failed to finish inside the top five places since the Miami GP back in May.
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
Although he has a contract for the 2025 season, Perez could still leave Red Bull as the team considers how to proceed for next year.
Verstappen’s camp will reportedly be ‘happy’ if Red Bull does replace Perez with Liam Lawson in 2025, which is the team’s main priority.
Leave feedback about this