Max Verstappen is just as serious about his sim racing projects as he is about Formula 1 racing. However, not everyone shares his view, with some dismissing sim racing as nothing more than a video game. Verstappen strongly disagrees with this sentiment, and he hasn’t been shy about expressing his frustration towards those who belittle his passion.
In a recent video clip that surfaced on X (formerly known as Twitter), Verstappen, alongside a teammate from his sim racing team, Team Redline, openly criticized the idea that sim racing is just a game. Verstappen’s teammate even said that these sim races are the highest form of e-sport events and it doesn’t get any more real than that.
Verstappen himself was quite blunt, saying, “People who say ‘it’s just a game’, they don’t understand. So, they can just stay away! If you’re not interested, don’t say anything stupid about it, like, whatever, it’s okay, have a drink.”
max: “people who say “it’s just a game” they don’t understand, so. they can just stay away! if you’re not interested, don’t say anything stupid about it. like whatever, it’s okay, have a drink.”
speak ur truth pic.twitter.com/toX0mO9uoR
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) August 16, 2024
However, despite his passion for sim racing, Verstappen has faced criticism in recent times for participating in these events, especially when they coincide with his Formula 1 duties.
Verstappen denied Red Bull putting a ban on his sim racing activities
Earlier in the F1 season, Verstappen took part in the 24 hours of virtual Le Mans during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend. Despite staying up late to compete in the event, he went on to win the Imola GP on Sunday, proving that his sim racing did not affect his performance on the track.
However, the situation wasn’t as smooth when the Dutchman participated in the 24 hours of Spa Francorchamps during the Hungarian GP weekend. This time, he did not win the Hungarian GP, and some critics were quick to blame his late-night sim racing for the disappointing result.
It also led to rumors that Red Bull had imposed a ban on his sim racing activities during race weekends. Reports suggested that Verstappen’s performance in Hungary, combined with his overly frustrated radio communication, had led to a ban. However, Verstappen later denied the idea of the team issuing him any kind of formal ban.
Helmut Marko clarifies Max’s sim racing ‘ban’:
️ “We have agreed that in the future he will not drive well past 00:00, eventhough he has a completely different rhythm of life.”
“But still, you have to avoid things like this that are understandably attacked in public.” pic.twitter.com/uTmruucNsN
— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) July 30, 2024
In a report from De Telegraaf, he clarified, “No, it’s not like I have a ban. We talked about it and I said they don’t have to worry because there’s no sim race on the schedule for a while. But I also don’t have to tell them what they can do in their private time during a race weekend.”
With the decline in the RB20’s performance, Verstappen would have to work harder to ensure he does enough to not only get the points to aid him in his own championship fight but also help Red Bull, who have been losing ground to McLaren recently.
