Max Verstappen takes part in a sim racing event on the Nordschleife alongside the Formula 1 race and secures another victory
As a Formula 1 driver, you don’t have much free time. And then there’s Max Verstappen. The reigning Formula 1 world champion also took the opportunity to drive the virtual 24-hour race at the Nürburgring on the sim racing platform iRacing on the weekend of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
Verstappen is a passionate sim racer and one of the best in the virtual cockpit. Together with Chris Lulham, Diogo Pinto and Florian Lebigre, he won the 24-hour race in the virtual “Green Hell” in a BMW M4 GT3 from the Redline team, the top address in sim racing.
Verstappen converted his motorhome into a large simulator, technically known as a “rig”. He completed stints on the virtual Nordschleife there on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
This was also a new experience for the three-time world champion: “I’ve never done anything like this in one day. And certainly not virtually. We practise a lot for this. That’s why I’m obviously very happy with the result.” He didn’t drive at night because he needed his sleep, he assures us.
In any case, he is sure to be admired. “He won two races in one day,” says Team Principal Christian Horner. “You could hear what that means to him. He had to work hard for his pole yesterday and today he delivered a masterpiece.”
That is why Red Bull is not worried about Verstappen’s side activities: “He is a racing machine. He often tests different set-ups [in sim racing] in the evenings. So that’s nothing unusual for him.” It’s Verstappen’s way of switching off
Norris also with little sleep
During the press conference, Verstappen didn’t miss the opportunity to wind Lando Norris up a little. Norris is also an enthusiastic sim racer, and the two even drove a car together in the virtual 24 Hours of Spa in 2019. The Redline team was in the lead there too, until Verstappen broke the brake pedal ten minutes before the end.
Since then, however, Norris’ leisure activities have changed: “I don’t have a simulator in my motorhome. I definitely don’t do as much as I used to. But that’s more because I prefer to play golf. Max hates golf.” Verstappen interrupts him: “I’m not an old man either.”
Neither Verstappen nor Norris slept much before the race, but for completely different reasons: “I stayed awake for the boxing match.” The heavyweight fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury also drew Verstappen to the TV, as he admits: “I watched the fight too.”
Norris’ evening was no less full than Verstappen’s: “I went to bed around 2 o’clock. I definitely didn’t get my eight hours of sleep. I was also watching golf and Indianapolis [500, qualifying]. So I had four screens or something.”
“But I respect that [what Max does]. I grew up doing it and I’ve done a lot along those lines. I paid the price for doing so much of it and not much else when I was growing up. My life was literally racing, sim racing and then, when I had to leave, leaving school.”
“I didn’t do anything else. I never went out. I didn’t do any of that as a kid. I never went out with my friends and stuff. I was a bit of a loner. Now I’m making up for lost time by going out and doing other things that I enjoy more than racing sims.”
“I think the way I grew up took me away from that a bit more than Max, for example. Maybe it was the other way around for him. I still love it and I enjoy it. I still play online. But it’s not something I would do on a Saturday night. “
F1 racing takes a physical toll
The question remains as to how exhausting it was for Verstappen. Sim racing is not physically demanding, but mentally it is. “It can affect you a bit mentally,” says Norris. However, Verstappen did not feel much of this in the Formula 1 race.
Verstappen is in pain, though, as he explains: “I’m just knackered from the knocks [in the Formula 1 race], to be honest. My back, everything hurts. There were really a lot of bumps out there.” The Alta variant, in particular, requires a lot of ripping over the kerbs, which the Formula 1 cars cannot fully absorb.
“After 20 laps, I was really feeling my back. That’s why I’m looking forward to bed. Maybe a few painkillers. And a massage, but I don’t know yet,” concludes Verstappen.
