Is Max Verstappen pulling too many all-nighters? For the Red Bull world champion, night-time sim racing is being blown out of proportion. He doesn't accept criticism of his antics in Hungary.
Max Verstappen has no sympathy for the debate surrounding his forays into the world of sim racing. The three-time Formula 1 world champion from Red Bull also firmly rejected a ban on virtual motorsport for him, which was put forward by the struggling racing team. "There are no other sim races coming up anyway, so nobody needs to worry," said Verstappen ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps. "I don't have a ban. I also don't have to tell anyone what to do in their free time or at the weekend."
Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko had previously commented on Verstappen's participation in online races in his column for the specialist portal "Speedweek". Most recently in Hungary, the Dutchman only finished fifth in the subsequent Grand Prix after an all-night session in the simulator. "Max Verstappen was rather thin-skinned this weekend, and it clearly didn't take long for criticism to arise - no wonder, given that he spent half the night playing sim racing," wrote Marko.
«I have won three world championships. I know pretty well what I can and can't do."»
However, he added: "In Imola, he didn't go to bed until three o'clock in the morning after sim racing - and then won the Grand Prix. Max has a different sleep rhythm and he had his seven hours of sleep," explained Marko. It was agreed that he would no longer drive simulations so late in the future.
Verstappen, in turn, pointed out that "racing until three in the morning" was nothing new for him, as he had been doing it since 2015. After all, it was also "something very important" in his life. "If you don't win the race, people always put it off: He stays up until three in the morning or he's a kilo overweight," said Verstappen, complaining, "I've won three world championships. I know pretty well what I can and can't do."
Verstappen's advice to critics: "Don't listen"
Verstappen, who is facing a grid penalty in Belgium for the illegal use of a new engine, also addressed the critics who had complained about his constant talking over the pit radio during the Hungarian race. "People who don't like my language shouldn't listen, they should turn the volume down. I am very success-oriented, I always want to optimize everything," said Verstappen, who recently failed to win three races in a row this season, but has won the last three races in Belgium.
At Red Bull, they are always "very open, very critical of each other, which has worked very well for us," Verstappen continued. "That is our approach. It's important that you can be critical, because in the world we live in today, many people can't take criticism as well as they used to. We don't want to end there."
