Max Verstappen Eyes 24-Hour iRacing Event on Nordschleife Circuit
As Max Verstappen gears up for the Imola race, he’s also eyeing a spot in the 24-hour iRacing event on the iconic Nordschleife circuit, a popular road racing destination. The three-time champion revealed his ambition to participate in the virtual endurance race during a Team Redline stream, despite the conflicting schedules.
Unpredictable Schedules
While Verstappen’s involvement in the iRacing event remains uncertain, he’s confident that he can juggle both commitments. With a new simulator rig accompanying him to European F1 races, he believes the nature of endurance racing, which features three team-mates, will allow him to dip in and out of the races as needed.
Sim Racing and F1 Commitments
The sim race, scheduled to start on Saturday and conclude on Sunday, presents Verstappen with opportunities to take breaks and jump into his custom simulator without compromising his preparation for the Imola race. “It’s a 24-hour race, and I think there are four of us on the car. But of course, I don’t have a lot of time, Saturday night and Sunday morning,” Verstappen explained. “I’ll have between two and four hours, if I’m going to do it. It depends a bit, how it works out with the times.”
Getting Sufficient Rest
Verstappen emphasized the importance of getting sufficient rest, ensuring he’s well-rested for Sunday’s race. “You do have to go to bed on time and get your hours of sleep, of course, to start the Sunday well rested. You can’t decide for everyone what they do on a Saturday night. People can go out for dinner, do crazy things…”
Facing Criticism
The Dutch driver acknowledged that his potential participation in the virtual event might attract criticism if he underperforms at Imola. However, he countered that he’s sim-raced during grand prix weekends before, and it shouldn’t be viewed as a distraction from his primary duties for Red Bull as he pursues his fourth consecutive title.
Experience and Professionalism
[If something goes wrong on Sunday] they’ll say so. It doesn’t matter to me anyway. Look, as I just said, I think I’m professional enough that I know what can and can’t be done. If you don’t go to bed and you don’t sleep, it won’t be good for your race on Sunday. But I think with so many years of experience I do know what to do.
Nurburgring 24 Hours
Notably, the iRacing version of the Nurburgring 24 Hours precedes the real-world version by two weeks and features a diverse range of GT3, GT4, and TCR cars, as well as Porsche GT3 Cup machinery. Verstappen previously won the event with Team Redline in 2021.
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