Max Verstappen, a fan of racing who has made it his life even when he is not partaking in a race, is now on a mission to instill his passion in others. As a dedicated sim-racer, he believes that it opens avenues into the real-life world of motorsport for those who cannot access actual on-track facilities to grow.
At the Heineken Player Zero event in Madrid, a virtual racing competition that allows participants a chance to go up against Verstappen, the Red Bull driver said, “It’s a big passion, trying to find talent from the virtual world, because you know, in real life, not everyone has the possibility to become a professional driver.”
With Heineken — which is a sponsor of Verstappen — he will aim to go global with his scouting on this front. He pointed out how most drivers in motorsports are from a select few countries — mostly from the UK and a select few European nations — which is something he wants to change.
According to Dr. Helmut Marko, Max Verstappen is so dedicated to sim racing, he had his $15 million private jet renovated with a full racing simulator setup in the cabin ✈️ pic.twitter.com/6r1eCyX8jN
— Vincenzo Landino (@vincenzolandino) January 27, 2023
“It doesn’t matter where you come from. You can race from anywhere in the world, and you can make it to the finals and that’s why I think it’s very exciting,” he added.
F1 has always been very Europe-centric, with drivers who look to get into the series, also traveling thousands of miles to set up camp on the continent. The UK in particular, is a hotbed because most of the teams are based out of there.
If sim-racing does become a recognized point of entry for these talents, then they won’t have to leave everything behind and settle in an unfamiliar base, something Verstappen along with Team Redline could look to make happen.
Verstappen’s other team
The success Verstappen has achieved with Red Bull in F1 is well-known, but when he is not on the F1 track, the four-time World Champion switches focus to his other team – Team Redline. Representing them, Verstappen has competed in and won several prestigious sim-racing tournaments, including the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Now, with his personal ventures such as Verstappen.com, the Dutchman will include more people into Team Redline’s sim program, and help the gifted ones get into the spotlight.
In the interview, the 27-year-old revealed that Team Redline is already in the works to bring sim-racers into real life in 2026. “It’s very exciting, like for me, seeing young talents be very quick, pick up the sim, in real life, see them drive a real car, it’s something I have a lot of enjoyment [for].”
For a long time, Verstappen has spoken about how sim-racing helps him stay sharp and F1-ready all the time, but it is his desire to find talent from all corners of the world that truly drives him into doing something bigger than just driving.
