“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,” said Max Verstappen, talking about the ground rules he lays down during his Sim Racing Escapades. Max is a man full of paradoxes. The no-nonsense kind of guy is very simple, yet strict regarding his liking and lifestyle. Amidst all of this, his love for racing is unparalleled. When he is not on track, he is on his simulator (even on vacation). This unwavering love of his can be both a boon and a bane. Let’s take a look at both sides of it.

How Max Verstappen’s Sim Racing dedication drew a lot of flak from F1 experts

Max Verstappen and his dedication to Sim racing came under fire from critics after his aggressive tone during the Hungarian Grand Prix as he repeatedly hit out at his pit wall for the bad strategy and lack of pace of the car. For context, this stemmed from the news that Verstappen had pulled an early-morning stint in iRacing’s 24 Hours of Spa event. In endurance racing, each car is piloted by a team of drivers who take shifts at the wheel. Verstappen’s shift reportedly kept him up until 3 a.m. before the day of the Hungarian Grand Prix. What followed was absolute mayhem. Red Bull’s spiraling form didn’t help either. A very cranky Verstappen was pulled up by the commentators for lack of discipline and they blamed the radio blast on lack of sleep.

But the team defended their lion fiercely. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner had said, “I think people draw conclusions, but Max knows what’s required and we trust his judgment on that. He knows what it takes to drive a Grand Prix car to win the Grand Prix and be a world champion. And look, as a team, we always work as a team, and whatever discussions of how to improve will always not take place through media.”

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko had added, “He was up even longer in Imola. I don’t know where the sleeping times came from again and won the race. Max has a different rhythm to me or other people, and the time he went to bed is nothing out of the ordinary for him. He didn’t even wake up at 10 o’clock in Zandvoort when the helicopters flew over his motorhome. He’s got his sleep quota. He’s had it as usual. That’s rubbish.” But this was the only incident when Verstappen’s sim racing endeavors were questioned. Apart from this, he has always received praise and benefits from it. This is the ‘other side’ of it.

“Very serious” about his (sim) racing, Max Verstappen benefits from it greatly

When Max Verstappen is not busy with Formula 1, he spends a lot of time in the simulator. On behalf of Team Redline, he takes part in many sim races. Team manager Atze Kerkhof is full of praise for the Red Bull Racing driver’s dedication. “He’s breathing racing in a way,” said Kerkhof (Team manager of Team Redline Racing) in the documentary Max Verstappen – Off the Beaten Track. Explaining how “dedicated to sim racing” Max Verstappen is, Kerkhof stated that if Max has the time to prepare, he will be in the top 3 of the world. Verstappen takes his hobby very seriously and competes regularly. This includes long-distance races such as the virtual 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the Nurburgring, even during the racing season. This dedication also helps him  on track due to the adaptive nature of the discipline.

Formula One F1 – Austrian Grand Prix – Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria – June 27, 2024 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen during the press conference ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix REUTERS/Florion Goga

Verstappen told the Washington Post, “The main thing is that on all the simulator platforms, I race non-Formula 1 cars. So, you have to be adaptive and change your driving style, since every car demands something else as far as steering input, throttle, and driving lines. I’m constantly learning and adapting to what I need to do in each car to go as quickly as possible. At the end of the day, that helps you when you go back to Formula 1, because you have all of this experience in the back of your mind. Sometimes you might not be entirely happy with the set-up of your Formula 1 car, but you can draw on all of your different experiences in the simulator.” In response to the suggestion that this makes him a “more well-rounded racer.” Verstappen added, “That’s exactly what I’m trying to achieve.” These are the two sides of Verstappen’s love for sim racing. What do you think about it?