Max Verstappen has slammed the idea that Red Bull have issued him with a sim-racing ban, insisting that he ‘knows quite well what is best’.
The Dutchman finished fifth in the Hungarian Grand Prix and fans noticed he was up at 3am on the morning of the race in the virtual 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
Verstappen endured a frustrating outing at the Hungaroring and was heard making expletive remarks in tense team radio conversations.
“You guys gave me this s*** strategy, okay? I’m trying to rescue what’s left,” he replied to a suggestion he pushed too hard on his medium tyres at around the lap 53 mark.
Hours before winning the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the Dutchman raced in the virtual Nurburgring 24-hour sim tournament with his Team Redline.
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However, the 26-year-old driver has hit back at the suggestion that Red Bull have banned him from sim-racing late into the night, denying that anything of the sort is in place.
Speaking to the media ahead of the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix this weekend, Verstappen insisted he was well in control of his own actions.
“We talked about it, I said, ‘You don’t need to worry, there are no other races coming up’,” he explained. “But no, it’s not that I have a ban.
“I don’t need to tell them what to do in their private time over the weekend, and it’s the same for me.”
He added: “I raced until 3am – it’s not something new and, for me, it’s something very important in my life. There are no other sim races coming up anyway so no-one has to worry about that. But it’s always when you don’t win the race that you blame it on, ‘You were staying up until 3am’, or, ‘You’re one kilo overweight’.
“There are always things to make up that you can argue about when you don’t win a race, but for example in Imola I did win the race – both of them. For me, this is not something new, I’ve been doing this since 2015, so for me it’s not something that is any different in my preparation.
“I’ve won three world championships – I think I know pretty well what I can and cannot do. I’m always very hard on myself with what is and it’s allowed and, with all the experience I have in Formula 1, I think I know quite well what is best.”
Verstappen’s words are at odds with the words of Red Bull director Helmut Marko, who previously told speedweek.com that it had been agreed that Verstappen would not stay up late sim-racing anymore.
“I have to say that in Imola he didn’t go to bed until three in the morning after a sim racing session – and then won the Grand Prix,” Marko told speedweek.com.
“Max has a different sleep pattern, and he had his seven hours of sleep. His late-night sim appearance on the Hungary weekend only came about because a driver in his team had dropped out.
“Nevertheless, we agreed that he would no longer run simulations so late in the future.”
Former world champion Nico Rosberg had also criticised Verstappen for staying up late and compared him to Lando Norris, who came second.
“I was quite impressed, actually, because he [Norris] has learned how to become a more professional athlete,” he said on Sky Sports. “When he started F1, especially against Daniel Ricciardo, he wasn’t really trying to be perfect as an athlete.
“Last night his bedtime was 11:05, not 11:00, 05. Wake up was 8:05, and breakfast was already set, like exactly what to eat. So he was hyper-professional, which was nice to know.
“At the same time, in contrast, you have Verstappen, who until 3am. last night was sim-racing. That’s a bit disappointing, isn’t it? It just shows that he’s too used to his ease of domination.”
Despite his poor race, which also saw him collide with Lewis Hamilton late on, Verstappen still leads the drivers’ standings.
The three-time world champion sits on 265 points with Red Bull also topping the constructors’ table on 389 points, albeit just 51 ahead of McLaren.
Victory for Verstappen at the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend would mark his eighth this season.
News Summary:
- Max Verstappen issues defiant message following late-night sim racing ahead of Hungarian GP
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