There had been rumors about Max Verstappen having installed a simulator in his private jet. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko further fueled these rumors after highlighting how much the Dutchman loves racing, especially sim racing. However, the 26-year-old’s former physio, Bradley Scanes, has now debunked this myth.
Appearing on the Red Flags podcast, Scanes discussed the story of Verstappen’s private jet simulator with the hosts. Upon their asking whether he has flown on the jet and whether there is a sim on it, he replied, “Yes. I have. There isn’t [a sim on the jet].”
Both hosts exclaimed and labeled the simulator on the jet story as “fake news”. It was after the 2022 season when Marko revealed this tidbit that Verstappen had converted his private jet to accommodate a simulator on it.
The Austrian mentioned that Verstappen needs and likes this distraction. However, Scanes certainly knows the insider news, having flown with the three-time champion several times. Thus, his lighthearted response clears the air and debunks this rumor for now.
About his experience of flying on the private Jet, the Briton mentioned how it was his first pre-season when he first flew with Verstappen on the jet. They were flying to Portugal for some testing with Verstappen’s family too on the flight. Scanes nonchalantly said it was pretty cool for him to have that first journey on the Dutchman’s jet.
Max Verstappen also clarified the “absurd” private jet simulator story
Following Helmut Marko’s comments, even Max Verstappen laughed off and clarified that he doesn’t have a private jet simulator. The 26-year-old mentioned that Marko perhaps misunderstood when they had the conversation about the same in 2022.
Verstappen highlighted that he was discussing having a simulator experience while he was traveling from one race to another or traveling back home. He cited that he is looking to build a motorhome for traveling across Europe for the races and there he may look to install a sim.
About having a sim on his private plane, Verstappen claimed it would be a bit “absurd”. However, it is pertinent to note that the 26-year-old is an avid sim racer. Whenever he feels out of touch, it helps him to keep his racing skills sharp.
Last year, he participated in the Virtual Le Mans event. While the server connectivity issues annoyed him a lot on that occasion, his participation highlighted his commitment to taking online racing seriously. This year, the Red Bull driver has already participated in and won the Virtual 24 Hours of Daytona event.
