Max Verstappen, on Sunday morning, quite dramatically quit the Le Mans 24 hours virtual race owing to server issues with the game. When his team manager informed him that one of the laps wouldn’t be reinstated, he got affected by the same problem.
Verstappen then, infuriated with the decision, drove his car to the pitlane, and hit the escapee button to mark a DNF. He even claimed he wouldn’t return to this ‘clown competition.’
But on the other hand, the other redline team consists of F2 champion Felipe Drugovich IndyCar and Formula E racer Felix Rosenqvist, Chris Lulham and Luke Bennett. But Verstappen’s side had to take a heavy hit.
Also read: Red Bull Ace Max Verstappen Once Spent $6 Million On 120-ft Super Luxury Yacht
Max Verstappen denied heavy sum to his teammates
The prize pool of the competition was approximately $250,000 by ending his team’s stint several hours before he denied them a chance to take a scoop out of the lucrative prize pool.
Even the team manager Atze Kerkhof admitted that the prize money was big for several competitors, and the organisation’s glitches ruined their hard work and getting a hold of earning something, which is a large chunk of their earnings.
Though, he didn’t pin the blame on Verstappen for doing the same to his teammates by quitting the tournament out of frustration. On the contrary, he claims that his side is on the better edge of the spectrum even after not taking away anything monetarily from the competition.
“Our drivers will survive this, but there are also a lot of drivers who lean on this prize money and who just suffer heavily. That kind of prize pool ensures the sport’s professionalism and makes many bets on it,” said Kerkhof.
He also claimed that even though, like others, they were affected by the problems in the stream, his side is the most vocal about the issues with the series. He urges the organizers to improve the situation.
F1 champion criticized for his rage
Verstappen blasted the Le Mans virtual organizers with a lengthy rant on the stream. He also called out the previous mistakes of the event to call it a clown show.
However, his profound criticism didn’t go well with the other game stakeholders. One of the commentators from the event heavily criticized the Dutchman on Twitter.
If it’s a clown show, that makes me and my hard working dedicated friends, clowns. Usually after a 24hr race I am tired but today has been an ugly, exhausting display of the toxic side of Sim Racing and social media. I am proud of what the Le Mans Virtual Team has achieved. 1/3 https://t.co/Z8X30cUcpR
— Ben Constanduros (@BenConsty) January 15, 2023
Meanwhile, Jimmy Broadbent, a sim racer himself, mocked Hamilton for his ragequit. He posted a song by Rick Astley called never gonna give up on you to take a jibe at Verstappen quitting the game when things were not going his way.
Also read: Max Verstappen 2023 Salary: How Much Will The Red Bull Ace Earn?
