Max Verstappen was taking part in sim racing the night before the Hungarian GP. Nico Rosberg has now come out and slammed the Dutchman for his lack of professionalism. The former world champion justified his criticism by pointing out how Lando Norris went to bed on time. But, Peter Windsor has now slammed Rosberg for his comments.
“What I follow is if Lando would’ve followed Max’s regime, he probably wouldn’t have given the win to Piastri”, said Windsor when asked if the late-night sim racing had any effect on Verstappen’s race the next morning. The journalist then went on to slam Rossberg by adding,
“Where does Nico Rosberg get off monitoring the sleeping habits of these drivers? Give me a break. If Max is over 21, he knows how much sleep he needs. He knows how to prepare for a Grand Prix“.
Peter Windsor destroys Sky Sports, including Crofty, Rosberg and those who made the stupid comments about Max Verstappen’s sim racing.
I completely agree with Peter. Sim racing is actually a chill moment for Max. A moment to reset and recharge for the race. He has done it so… pic.twitter.com/zwkAcxwA0X
— Marc | Formula 1 (@433_marc) July 23, 2024
Windsor went on to explain how it’s important to have a balance and Verstappen has always been able to do that. The former Ferrari boss has no problems with the Dutchman choosing to live his life on the edge. Windsor suggested that the sim racing might in fact be Verstappen’s way of relaxing and preparing for the race the next day.
Verstappen took part in the 24 Hours of Spa Francorchamps the night before the Hungarian GP main race. As a result, he was up till 3 AM on the morning of the F1 race. On the other hand, Rosberg revealed that Norris went to bed at 11 PM and was up by 8 AM with his breakfast ready.
As for Verstappen, he also took part in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring during the Imola GP weekend and ended up winning the virtual race with Team Redline. The next morning, the Dutchman won the Grand Prix in Emilia Romagna as well.
Moreover, even Helmut Marko has no concerns with the routine that Verstappen follows ahead of race weekends. According to GPblog, he said, “He [Verstappen] was up even longer in Imola and there he won the race. Max has a different rhythm to me or other people, and the time he goes to bed is nothing unusual for him.”
However, Marko did reveal that Verstappen was most likely ill-tempered during the Hungarian GP main race because of his lack of sleep. Consequently, Red Bull has decided that Verstappen will no longer take part in sim racing before an F1 Grand Prix.
