As the world of road racing continues to captivate enthusiasts, Max Verstappen‘s dual triumph at the Imola Grand Prix and Nurburgring 24 Hours sim race has sent shockwaves through the paddock. The Red Bull driver, who claimed victory at Imola just 15 minutes after sealing his team’s win at the Nordschleife on iRacing, demonstrated his incredible versatility as a racing machine.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner dismissed concerns that Verstappen’s sim racing commitments would negatively impact his hunt for a fourth consecutive F1 world championship. “He is basically a racing machine, so it is quite often he is testing different set-ups in the evening and this kind of thing, so it is not unusual for him to be doing that,” said Horner.
Verstappen drives for Team Redline, a professional outfit competing at the highest level of endurance sim racing. Founded in 2000 by Dom Duhan, Redline has become one of the most successful teams in the industry, winning titles like the iRacing World Championship Grand Prix Series from 2012 to 2015. In 2022, the team dominated the Le Mans 24 Hours, BMW Sim GT Cup, Formula Pro Series, Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup, and DTM Esports, earning the Autosport Esports Team of the Year Award.
Verstappen’s partnership with Redline began in 2015, and he has since become an integral part of the team’s success. The Dutchman has won numerous sim racing events, including the Spa 24 Hours with Lando Norris as co-drivers in an Audi R8 LMS in 2019. Verstappen’s busy schedule means he only competes in selected sim racing events, but that doesn’t harm his performances. He has firmly established himself as one of the best sim racers in the world.
In recent times, Verstappen endured virtual Le Mans frustrations, including a disconnection issue during the 2022-23 Le Mans Virtual Series season-finale. However, he bounced back with victories in the 2023 AMX Global League season and the Daytona 24 Hours GTD class. His latest triumph came at the Nordschleife, where he drove a three-hour stint on the Saturday evening before a two-hour session the following morning, securing Redline’s victory.
Fans can watch Verstappen compete in sim races via livestreaming platform Twitch, where Redline has its own channel with over 200,000 followers. Luke Crane often commentates during the livestream, joking about Verstappen’s involvement across the Nurburgring/Imola weekend.
As Verstappen continues to claim victories in both virtual and real-life racing, he has every right to rubbish claims that it might harm his performances in F1. “I think I’m professional enough that I know what can and can’t be done,” said Verstappen. “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.”
Verstappen’s future in endurance racing remains uncertain, but he has expressed interest in competing at the real-life Le Mans 24 Hours. He’s even planning a two-car GT3 outfit that could compete in series like GT World Challenge from 2025 onwards through Verstappen.com Racing. The Dutchman wants to create a stepping stone from sim racing to GT3 racing, providing an alternative to the traditional karting route.
In the world of road racing, the lines between real-life and virtual competition continue to blur. As Verstappen’s reign in F1 continues, his foray into sim racing has shown that the boundaries between different forms of motorsport can be bridged. Whether or not he’ll make the switch to endurance racing in real life remains to be seen, but one thing is certain – Max Verstappen is a force to be reckoned with, both on the virtual and real tracks.
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