Max Verstappen can be deemed a full-time sim racer and a part-time F1 driver. The amount of sim racing he indulges in is unmatched on the current F1 grid. When it got a bit out of hand, Red Bull reportedly banned the Dutchman from sim racing during race weekends. They cheekily reminded him of the same during a fun ‘Christmas gifts’ feature on their YouTube channel.
Red Bull made Verstappen unwrap a bunch of gifts that summarized his 2024 campaign. One of the gifts he opened had Italy and Hungary written on it, which piqued the 27-year-old’s interest. It was a gaming console controller locked in a box.
Verstappen was keen on getting it out of the box. He started cracking the code to open the same and was successful. “Guessed the password,” he said, before asserting that he was “allowed” to game and partake in sim racing. “No one can stop me”, the Red Bull driver stated.
How do you sum up Max Verstappen’s 2024 F1 Season in 10 festive gifts? Watch it below! https://t.co/togRNmdOgh
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) December 24, 2024
Verstappen understood the cheeky dig by his team, as he had participated in virtual sim racing events at the Imola and Hungarian GP race weekends this season. After a controversial and frustrating weekend in Hungary, the Milton Keynes outfit reportedly restricted the Dutchman’s off-track endeavors.
Verstappen clarified multiple times that Red Bull did not place any ban on his sim racing. He was vocal about not wanting his team to interfere in his off-track life. Nevertheless, there were reports that he received a reprimand after his frustration-filled weekend in Budapest.
Verstappen’s outburst in Hungary
Verstappen was racing in the virtual 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps during the Hungarian GP weekend. While he won the virtual racing event, his on-track performance at the Hungaroring was below par and quite mentally consuming. As Red Bull did not have the ultimate pace to fight for the win, the Dutchman was getting desperate to get the final podium spot.
But with the Austrian team making mistakes in its strategy, Verstappen got angry and lashed out at his team on the radio. It was a series of bitter exchanges between him and his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase. Many experts including F1 commentator David Croft opined that Verstappen was cranky during the race because of his late-night sim racing.
Red Bull naturally denied this theory but also mentioned that they would have a word with their driver. This is when reports of the team banning Verstappen’s sim racing on race weekends surfaced. But eventually, the Dutchman got his act together, putting consistent performances on his way to winning his fourth World Championship.
