People working desk jobs are often left in awe of the adventurous lifestyle of F1 drivers. To travel around the world, racing on different circuits every weekend, going at the speed of 210 mph is the dream. However, the race, practices, and qualifying are just a small part of a race weekend for the drivers. There is something that keeps drivers busier than actually driving the car and that is probably not as appealing. Max Verstappen revealed that aspect of his race weekend recently.

The success Verstappen is seeing lately has not come easy. Years of racing on the track, the simulator have got him to where he is today. A lot of the performance on the race on Sunday depends on what goes on in team meetings. They discuss everything from tire management to pit stops and strategy calls in these meetings and all that can consume a lot of time.

In a recent article, Speedweek quoted Max saying, “The most important meeting is the team meeting in the morning. That can take ninety minutes. If everything goes smoothly, this meeting will be over in half an hour. Basically we go through the whole day.” [Translated using Google]

“In addition, the drivers meet with the race control in the evening after the first two free practice sessions.”

“Or we talk about safety issues of the route. Here, too, the range is wide. I’ve sat in meetings that were over in ten minutes. If a discussion arises, it can turn into an hour and a half. Then we also have a meeting with Pirelli or as part of the GPDA driver association.”

He added, “I also don’t want a test driver to take care of the simulation, as happens in other formations. I want to do it myself, because everyone has their own driving style.”

Read More: “Uncle” Michael Schumacher’s Influential History With F1 Lion Max Verstappen

Even when he is not driving the car, Max has a high-end simulator at home that he uses to keep himself in the zone.

When Max Verstappen has to impose a curfew around his room at home

Before the action in F1 resumed amid the pandemic-induced lockdowns, Verstappen took to live streaming his gameplays. From F1 sim racing to Call of Duty, we saw him do it all. During the streams, we also witnessed him get disturbed by his cats and girlfriend Kelly Piquet’s toddler Penelope. However, when it comes to competitive sim races, he has to take serious measures.

Speaking to Washington Post ahead of the recently concluded Virtual Le Mans, Max told, “I have two cats, and they’re always running around. My girlfriend has a daughter, and sometimes she might be tapping me on the shoulder. But on race day, I make sure no one is interfering — I close the doors and no one is allowed within 10 meters of my simulator.”

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It’s nice to finally find something we can relate to with the reigning F1 champion. Not the most ideal thing to be relatable, but it counts.