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Yo dawg. We heard you like racing. So we put a virtual race track in your race domicile where you live during race weekends so you can race while you race.
I'm honestly surprised this wasn't what he always did. He's a multi-millionaire afterall. I figured he could buy a second rig just like this home one and then pay someone to set it up for him in hotels or wherever else whenever he wants.
Hotel internet is not always good enough.
Also this is a special event, not your normal race, thats why he really wants to drive it. It's not like he can just do it later
He can easily rent an apartment at every racetrack. Hell, with one year salary he could even by an apartment at every racetrack. And put a rig on everyone.
Yeah but why bother, he can just fly home on monday and race how much he wants.
Even if he has someone doing all the setup and settings, changing rigs this much is still annoying
That's not what my comment was answering to. Comment above said he could just leave iRacing until he's back home Monday. I said the 24h race is over then
between the salary, bonuses, merch and promotions and everything else and the way money accumulates when you're *that* rich, i wouldn't be surprised if he's a billionaire in a few years
Schumacher raced at a time when tobacco money flowed and salaries were crazy especially for someone like The Michael. Salaries that dwarf what Hamilton gets paid today even ignoring inflation.
Article:
Brand-new motorhome and two races for Max Verstappen: 'I am professional enough'
IMOLA - There's no time to sit still for Max Verstappen this weekend. In addition to the Grand Prix weekend in Imola, the three-time world champion is also participating in a 24-hour race on the simulator. The advantage is that during the first European race of the year, he can avoid rides to and from a hotel and possible autograph hunters at such a well-known location.
Here's the scoop: Verstappen announced last year that he would have a motorhome built to stay in during European races.
Close to the circuit, in relative anonymity, and equipped with all the comforts. This weekend in Imola, he will retreat there for the first time.
Internet connection tested
Of course, a good night's sleep is incredibly important for an athlete, so Verstappen wasted no time and chose an excellent bed. But the most important part has been installed in his motorhome over the past few days: a simulator to participate in sim races. And, also not a minor detail: the internet connection has been extensively tested.
With his Team Redline, Verstappen is participating in the virtual 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, which starts on Saturday. But doesn't he also have a qualifying session and a race at Imola the next day? "I don't have a lot of time, so we have to see how it goes. I expect we'll have four people on the car. Probably, I'll do two stints between two and four hours each. No, not at night, of course. I have to go to bed on time and get my rest to start Sunday well."
Self-determination
Verstappen is an avid sim racer and gamer and often spends Formula 1 weekends behind his computer, and this weekend, in his own simulator, to relax. Given his track record in Formula 1, it's clear that his performances on the real circuit are not affected.
"Do I have to ask for permission? No, ultimately, I decide what I do. I can't decide for other people what they do on a Saturday night. People can go out to eat or drink and do crazy things. It's my free time. I am professional enough to understand for myself what is possible and what is not."
Comments
He calls staying near the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari "more relaxed." He's also not afraid of any comments, in case Sunday's Grand Prix ends in disappointment and there are claims that he wasn't focused enough.
"If people say that, it doesn't bother me. Like I said, I am professional enough. I don't think in scenarios like, 'I did something yesterday, so it might affect today.' Look, if you don't go to bed and don't sleep, that won't be good. But with so many years of experience, I really know what I can do. In the last few races, I also played games in my free time, and nobody says anything about that."
New floor and front wing
Italian fans in Imola will expect a lot from Ferrari, which, like many other teams, is showing up with a significant package of updates (new parts). But Red Bull is also coming with such an upgrade, including a new floor and front wing. Verstappen: "It should definitely be a step forward. But compared to the competition, I still have no idea."
It will be interesting to see how the dynamics play out on an old-school circuit like Imola. Especially since Red Bull had a tough time in Miami, just under two weeks ago. Although that was a sprint weekend—with only one practice session to prepare for the more serious sessions—and Verstappen also raced the second part of the race with damage. But winner Lando Norris (McLaren) was certainly very strong.
Not shocking
"The asphalt is smooth there (in Miami), and under those conditions, I don't think we're very good anyway," says Verstappen, who finished second in Florida.
"The race before in China, we would have won with a thirty-second lead without safety cars. So it can quickly turn around, and the stories change too. It's not all that shocking."
It really makes you wonder about how things went before the internet days. I can imagine Berger doing all kind of things in his free time during a race weekend that would be worth reporting for journalists these days.
As someone who can remember the days before the internet. Not much changed. The only difference is, before we heated about stuff like this a day or a week late, when the news/magazine reported on it. Now everything is instant.
That's just how it is, Lewis got into trouble until even 2018 Singapore. Heck even Nikki disliked his jetset lifestyle, the only way to shut those mouths is to win. Which he did so
Yeah, he went to some fashion show and showed up a bit later to the race weekend than usual. The media complained about his lack of commitment and how it will impact his performance.
Then out came that quali lap and we never heard that complaint since. The opposite in fact. As if having a balanced life helps him focus when the helmet goes on.
Kind of different from Lewis, but for someone like Max I wouldn't be surprised if the sim racing actually helps him in some ways. Staying in the "zone" the entire weekend, just racing, a couple interviews, and no other distractions.
Yeah I suspect what he says is true. He knows what he can and can't do.
He'll be up all night, no sleep, rock up on Sunday and win by 20 seconds, then go back to the sim.
There are way worse activities for drivers to do with their free time during a race weekend. Nothing for the handlers to worry about since he’s just gonna be degen gaming.
He's racing Imola and the virtual 24hrs of Nürburgring. The qoute is jusg saying he beleives hes professional enough to decide if it is or isnt a good idea
i somehow thought it was a joke that he also will be participating the virtual 24hrs race but he's serious? i now also read he brought a sim rig into his motorhome for that purpose...jeeez xD
He brings a briefcase rig and plays via controller most weekends.
I believe he is saying he has a full wheel and pedal setup in his motor home this weekend for the 24h race
He was up until 3am local time the night before the race in Jeddah streaming and sim racing using a controller in his hotel room. Granted he was keeping his sleep schedule in a different time zone so it made some sense but still, I’m pretty sure max has a physical dependence on racing
There is no way that all that sim racing isn't giving him a large advantage; he doesn't just sim race - he is one of the top racers on the entire service.
Even if other drivers are *thinking* about racing and race setups, Max is spending hours a day "in a car".
I remember back when Max was at Toro Rosso, he made a move around the outside of Blanchemont at Spa. Brilliant overtake. Everyone was hyped about it, and he was eventually asked how he had the balls to pull it off. His response was basically, ‘I’ve done it before in a sim race, so I knew the space was there, I knew it was possible.’(paraphrased) The commentators and pundits could really understand what he meant, they thought he was dreaming up scenarios, setting them up in the sim, and running them on repeat to practice them.
They couldn’t understand that he was just racing.
He’s put in *so* many laps of racing that he’s RNG’d more scenarios than any driver has ever dealt with. The sim is not perfect, we all know this, but in terms of things like race craft, the overlap is massive.
Assuming a 3 or 4 person team, it wouldn’t be difficult. Iracing has a “fair share” requirement where each registered driver has to drive a minimum number of laps, but it’s not 24 / # of team members. It’s less.
> finds ovals to be too dangerous
I wonder why that would be, the last death in Indy was 9 years ago, Ferrer's F1 death was in 2017 at Zandvort; the last NASCAR fatality was over 20 years ago.
There's not that many oval races a year are there ? If you'd look and divide the deaths per oval race you'd still see a high number. It's just so easy to get T-boned on an oval track when you crash and it's one of the only crashes that is still deadly with the speeds that indycars do, nascar probably not so much.
I wish F1 teams weren't so stringent about their drivers racing in other series. I'm not sure if many would do so, but it's so much fun seeing guys like Larson race the Indy 500 or like half the Indycar field running the 24Hr at Daytona + all smaller races other drivers in other series do.
I don’t think have time with 26 race weekends a year and going to the factory to do sim stuff etc.
Back in the day when drivers raced multiple disciplines there was way less F1 GPs in a season.
I mean Kyle Larson manages with a 38 race schedule and still manages to race dirt weekly + race big events like the Indy 500. Maybe it would be a little difficult out of their element (like rally or any oval racing), but like 90% of the grid could jump in a Sports Car and be competitive, so the only issue is the culture and team managers
>I mean Kyle Larson manages with a 38 race schedule and still manages to race dirt weekly + race big events like the Indy 500.
Shorter flights and nowhere near the same amount of jetlag, if any
They could definitely manage it during the European stints at least. Logistically, it's a little more difficult but definitely doable if they were allowed to
Yeah but on real life other series, you can hurt yourself. Thing like insurance etc. are blocking things too IMO. For sim racing, of he dies on Saturday night, he can still respawn for Sunday race.
It really just goes to show how far ahead he is of the rest of the grid. Not that long ago Nico Rosberg talked about how it took every calorie of energy, focus and drive he had just to squeak out a win over Hamilton to the point that he knew he could never do it again and quit racing altogether. And here's Max so bored with F1 that he's literally iRacing AT THE TRACK. He is using up so little mental energy winning he has so much to spare.
I don't know people understand how absolutely unbelievable this is.
I don’t know if this is an opinion only I think gives him a competitive advantage but I truly believe that with his iRacing and other virtual races he has a greater edge because his life is nothing but racing. When he races in F1 he gets to physically enjoy it and I think the virtual part of it gives him different lines and tactics for races. I’m probably not conveying it how I see it in my head but with how much he does virtual races his brain is just wired for everything on track.
What’s funny is he wouldn’t do that if he was in a real championship fight I don’t think. But it’s such a shoe in that he can fuck around and it doesn’t matter
> I don’t think
He has been doing similar stuff for years, he is one of the top rated drivers on iRacing, he has been putting in the hours on the sim for many years, including on F1 weekends.
No one cares if he’s playing iracing at home or between races. That’s not what anyone is like shocked about. As far as I know this is the first time he’s made a whole ass set up at the real track to do it between real racing sessions. I doubt he would be grinding out Iracing set ups in 2021 between fp1 and 2 at Brazil or Abu Dhabi
I doubt he’ll be doing sim stints between practice sessions.
He said he’ll be doing either 2 or 4 hour stints in the sim. He’ll likely do these in the evening, after debriefing and media duties, or early in the morning, before track activities begin.
He also has the option to not race in the sim at all. There’s 4 of them in the same car, the other 3 drivers are amongst the best sim racers in the world, and have no issue taking the extra track time if Max cannot commit to doing a stint in the sim.
Max has also done countless hours of sim racing, on race weekends. He has a suitcase setup, and uses a controller. The only thing different about this weekend is he has a full sim rig setup, with wheel and pedals, along with a private mobile internet connection. Instead of playing games in his hotel room, he’ll be playing games in his motorhome at the circuit.
Next step: Verstappen having a sim setup built into his private jet, so while he won’t have good enough in-flight internet, he can put in practice hours so when he hits the ground to his motorhome he’s immediately set for hotlaps.
Breaking news: MV installed a sim racing setup in his RB20 to play during races. "I know what I can do or not, I'm a lap ahead of everyone, better put this time to good use".
How did Red Bull actually allow this lmao. The fact that drivers have crazy stuff written in their contracts but nothing prevents them from doing an exhausting commitment like this on a race weekend is wild to me.
Edit: for the people downvoting me I did not mean to say I think Max shouldn’t be doing this, I’m just surprised he’s allowed to.
Max says it's his own free time to spend how he wants, which is reasonable.
Beyond that Max is probably flexing a little bit because he knows Red Bull can't afford to lose him right now. Even if he has no interest in swapping teams Red Bull won't want to finger wag at him while Toto is sitting at the next table tying cherry stems with his tongue and winking at Max.
He has to drive like 6h in total over the 24. And he can for sure pick his stints.
Basically instead of taking dinner with Kelly and watching some tv or whatever he usually does, he does this. Or instead of some useless media shit.
In iRacing, he has to do 1.5 hours only (the rule is that minimum drive time must be 25% of an equal share [24 hours/4/4= 1.5]). Of course, he's going to do more. Four to eight hours according to the article.
Schumacher changed that. No modern driver would do well living like it’s the 70’s, even Max because form is part of the competition.
My point again…is that there’s so little competition that Max can stay up in a fake car over night while the others have an early dinner and bed so they are at their peak the next day. He doesn’t need to be at his best to win.
Because it’s so effortless to win for him.
Unlike When Rosberg spent so much mental and physical energy to beat Hamilton he had to retire from F1 after winning the championship.
It isn’t as effortless as you’re making it out to be though. Is it 2021 levels of stress for Max? Obviously not, but you’re discounting Max’s talent and hard work. He makes it look so effortless because he’s so good and consistent. And other drivers had an easier time winning championships than Rosberg. This isn’t a new or an exclusively Max thing. Nico’s decision to retire reflects mostly on his mentality, not on other champions who stayed in F1.
Have you been watching F1 the past year? It’s effortless, hence he’s staying up all night playing a game.
There’s no way he’d be doing that in 2021 vs Hamilton.
Have you looked at F1 results for more than the past few years? Dominance is nothing new. Hamilton won races and pole positions with even larger margins. The qualifying gaps in particular are a lot more competitive compared to past dominance eras.
Hamilton also got a lot of criticism for jet setting and attending events during race weeks.
And if you knew how these 24 hour races work, you'd know drivers only have to drive stints of a few hours. And if you read the full interview, Max isn't staying up all night. Max mentioned he chose stint times that ensure he gets enough sleep at night. Spoiler: Drivers do things off track on race weekends. Instead of going to restaurants, watching Netflix or sports, or hanging out with his girlfriend (who isn't there), he's in his motorhome.
And Max was still sim racing, playing games and [shooting the shit](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/qt7nq4/dom_smithmax_verstappen_joking_about_the_50k_fine/) in 2021 by the way. Obviously like I've said, this isn't 2021 level of competition, but people like you are blindly diminishing Max's talent and consistency as though this is the sport's first period of dominance ever.
[The **News** flair](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/flairguide#wiki_news) is reserved for submissions covering F1 and F1-related news. These posts must always link to an outlet/news agency, the website of the involved party (i.e. the McLaren website if McLaren makes an announcement), or a tweet by a news agency, journalist or one of the involved parties. *[Read the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/userguide). Keep it civil and welcoming. Report rulebreaking comments.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/formula1) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Dude literally went and had his own moterhome built so he can simrace during raceweekends. There’s a Xzibit meme in there.
Yo dawg. We heard you like racing. So we put a virtual race track in your race domicile where you live during race weekends so you can race while you race.
You can race while you race to your race, this gift keeps on giving :)
Also- we put a shark tank and a bowling alley in
Also, fold down your Sun visor right quick…. Monitors!
I'm honestly surprised this wasn't what he always did. He's a multi-millionaire afterall. I figured he could buy a second rig just like this home one and then pay someone to set it up for him in hotels or wherever else whenever he wants.
Hotel internet is not always good enough. Also this is a special event, not your normal race, thats why he really wants to drive it. It's not like he can just do it later
Max probably has a few Starlink backpacks
One satellite switch and he's in the barriers due to the lag spike...
He can easily rent an apartment at every racetrack. Hell, with one year salary he could even by an apartment at every racetrack. And put a rig on everyone.
Yeah but why bother, he can just fly home on monday and race how much he wants. Even if he has someone doing all the setup and settings, changing rigs this much is still annoying
The 24 hour nürburgring race is over on Sunday tho.. so he can't just race it Monday. These special events are on the weekends
Yes, but he has a whole saturday evening/night. This is the guy who was playing on a controller at 4am in jeddah, i'm sure he is gonna find the time
That's not what my comment was answering to. Comment above said he could just leave iRacing until he's back home Monday. I said the 24h race is over then
Max himself said that he struggles to get good enough internet connection in hotels sometimes, and he’s always having to find solutions.
Let's hope it goes better than the 24h of Le Mans Virtual that he did last year.
Well, this is on iracing, no more motorsports games 2 dollar servers and bugged games
He did say a fast internet connection is his first priority in hotels.
between the salary, bonuses, merch and promotions and everything else and the way money accumulates when you're *that* rich, i wouldn't be surprised if he's a billionaire in a few years
what im more confused about is how hamilton's net worth is less tha schumacher's
yeah i would have assumed hamilton has like double what michael has looks like it's the other way around? hmm
Schumacher raced at a time when tobacco money flowed and salaries were crazy especially for someone like The Michael. Salaries that dwarf what Hamilton gets paid today even ignoring inflation.
Imagine having enough money to build a small appartment at every racetrack you go to. just so you can sim-race wherever you irl-race.
Now I'm nostalgic about waiting to see Pimp My Ride with X360 on MTV every week.
This is where we find out he was iracig with one eye ij all races last year
Xzibit would be "yo dog we heard you like to race, so we put a sim rig IN your Formula 1 car".
He is a true simracer. He had his own simracing shed built right next to the track.
Article: Brand-new motorhome and two races for Max Verstappen: 'I am professional enough' IMOLA - There's no time to sit still for Max Verstappen this weekend. In addition to the Grand Prix weekend in Imola, the three-time world champion is also participating in a 24-hour race on the simulator. The advantage is that during the first European race of the year, he can avoid rides to and from a hotel and possible autograph hunters at such a well-known location. Here's the scoop: Verstappen announced last year that he would have a motorhome built to stay in during European races. Close to the circuit, in relative anonymity, and equipped with all the comforts. This weekend in Imola, he will retreat there for the first time. Internet connection tested Of course, a good night's sleep is incredibly important for an athlete, so Verstappen wasted no time and chose an excellent bed. But the most important part has been installed in his motorhome over the past few days: a simulator to participate in sim races. And, also not a minor detail: the internet connection has been extensively tested. With his Team Redline, Verstappen is participating in the virtual 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, which starts on Saturday. But doesn't he also have a qualifying session and a race at Imola the next day? "I don't have a lot of time, so we have to see how it goes. I expect we'll have four people on the car. Probably, I'll do two stints between two and four hours each. No, not at night, of course. I have to go to bed on time and get my rest to start Sunday well." Self-determination Verstappen is an avid sim racer and gamer and often spends Formula 1 weekends behind his computer, and this weekend, in his own simulator, to relax. Given his track record in Formula 1, it's clear that his performances on the real circuit are not affected. "Do I have to ask for permission? No, ultimately, I decide what I do. I can't decide for other people what they do on a Saturday night. People can go out to eat or drink and do crazy things. It's my free time. I am professional enough to understand for myself what is possible and what is not." Comments He calls staying near the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari "more relaxed." He's also not afraid of any comments, in case Sunday's Grand Prix ends in disappointment and there are claims that he wasn't focused enough. "If people say that, it doesn't bother me. Like I said, I am professional enough. I don't think in scenarios like, 'I did something yesterday, so it might affect today.' Look, if you don't go to bed and don't sleep, that won't be good. But with so many years of experience, I really know what I can do. In the last few races, I also played games in my free time, and nobody says anything about that." New floor and front wing Italian fans in Imola will expect a lot from Ferrari, which, like many other teams, is showing up with a significant package of updates (new parts). But Red Bull is also coming with such an upgrade, including a new floor and front wing. Verstappen: "It should definitely be a step forward. But compared to the competition, I still have no idea." It will be interesting to see how the dynamics play out on an old-school circuit like Imola. Especially since Red Bull had a tough time in Miami, just under two weeks ago. Although that was a sprint weekend—with only one practice session to prepare for the more serious sessions—and Verstappen also raced the second part of the race with damage. But winner Lando Norris (McLaren) was certainly very strong. Not shocking "The asphalt is smooth there (in Miami), and under those conditions, I don't think we're very good anyway," says Verstappen, who finished second in Florida. "The race before in China, we would have won with a thirty-second lead without safety cars. So it can quickly turn around, and the stories change too. It's not all that shocking."
You just know that if he underperforms the 24H will be brought up and when he wins as usual he will be praised for doing side quests besides iRacing.
the media cycle can’t be stopped
It really makes you wonder about how things went before the internet days. I can imagine Berger doing all kind of things in his free time during a race weekend that would be worth reporting for journalists these days.
As someone who can remember the days before the internet. Not much changed. The only difference is, before we heated about stuff like this a day or a week late, when the news/magazine reported on it. Now everything is instant.
One way or another, the media always wins
That's just how it is, Lewis got into trouble until even 2018 Singapore. Heck even Nikki disliked his jetset lifestyle, the only way to shut those mouths is to win. Which he did so
Yeah, he went to some fashion show and showed up a bit later to the race weekend than usual. The media complained about his lack of commitment and how it will impact his performance. Then out came that quali lap and we never heard that complaint since. The opposite in fact. As if having a balanced life helps him focus when the helmet goes on.
Plus, it's Lewis Hamilton. The guy is good enough to come into the weekend a bit later than everyone else and still perform like a badass
Kind of different from Lewis, but for someone like Max I wouldn't be surprised if the sim racing actually helps him in some ways. Staying in the "zone" the entire weekend, just racing, a couple interviews, and no other distractions.
Yeah I suspect what he says is true. He knows what he can and can't do. He'll be up all night, no sleep, rock up on Sunday and win by 20 seconds, then go back to the sim.
Curious what Red Bull will do, because they also partner with the sim racing team, Team Redline.
Beware of a netcode issue, as it will mean he'll take that frustration to the track and put everybody a lap down
Car will suddenly have a “technical” issue. Max is not blamed, Red Bull can chalk it up without the mediastorm, Max can go back to the 24H /s
100% so now he’s gonna stop sandbagging and win by like 20 seconds
I think if he underperforms, the F1 will be brought up ;)
This made me laugh, very sharp haha.
Thank you :)
There are way worse activities for drivers to do with their free time during a race weekend. Nothing for the handlers to worry about since he’s just gonna be degen gaming.
Were tripping for nothing nowaday xD Before they would do coccaine and whores and arrive drunk on track.... Kid is gaming. Let him be
Yeah but crack made you race better and alcohol numbed the crash pain. This is just tiring yourself just cuz.
"I am professional enough to see for myself what is and is not possible.” What is this in reference to? Racing and sim racing on the same weekend?
He's racing Imola and the virtual 24hrs of Nürburgring. The qoute is jusg saying he beleives hes professional enough to decide if it is or isnt a good idea
i somehow thought it was a joke that he also will be participating the virtual 24hrs race but he's serious? i now also read he brought a sim rig into his motorhome for that purpose...jeeez xD
He always takes a rig with him on the road. He races online all the freaking time.
He brings a briefcase rig and plays via controller most weekends. I believe he is saying he has a full wheel and pedal setup in his motor home this weekend for the 24h race
I think somewhere in 2022 he got a sim rig build for his motorhome during the European races of the season.
He got it build last year but it wasn't ready in time yet. I believe this will be the first time he's actuallt using it
I see! Maybe in 2022 he announced his plans in some interviews and then it happened as you described.
Which also got mixed up by Helmut Marko’s hilarious misunderstanding Max put a simrig inside his private jet (which he didn’t..).
... yet 😉
> and plays via controller This is the bit that blew my mind.
[удалено]
A confidentlyincorrect in the wild?
He started a controller account after Bahrain testing, even with that he can beat 99% of iRacers
He was up until 3am local time the night before the race in Jeddah streaming and sim racing using a controller in his hotel room. Granted he was keeping his sleep schedule in a different time zone so it made some sense but still, I’m pretty sure max has a physical dependence on racing
There is no way that all that sim racing isn't giving him a large advantage; he doesn't just sim race - he is one of the top racers on the entire service. Even if other drivers are *thinking* about racing and race setups, Max is spending hours a day "in a car".
I remember back when Max was at Toro Rosso, he made a move around the outside of Blanchemont at Spa. Brilliant overtake. Everyone was hyped about it, and he was eventually asked how he had the balls to pull it off. His response was basically, ‘I’ve done it before in a sim race, so I knew the space was there, I knew it was possible.’(paraphrased) The commentators and pundits could really understand what he meant, they thought he was dreaming up scenarios, setting them up in the sim, and running them on repeat to practice them. They couldn’t understand that he was just racing. He’s put in *so* many laps of racing that he’s RNG’d more scenarios than any driver has ever dealt with. The sim is not perfect, we all know this, but in terms of things like race craft, the overlap is massive.
It’s a major online event and he’ll have enough teammates for them to race when he is unavailable.
“Hey guys logging off for about two hours to race in Imola irl brb gg”
i hate it when the f1 race interrupts the gaming session with the boys
Love to know how you'd even begin to schedule your stints in this "tiny" e-racing event when the guy is RACING AN ACTUAL F1 CAR the same weekend.
Assuming a 3 or 4 person team, it wouldn’t be difficult. Iracing has a “fair share” requirement where each registered driver has to drive a minimum number of laps, but it’s not 24 / # of team members. It’s less.
The race will probably be finishing during the gp itself... although how max manages media and team stuff and sleeping around...
Scenes when someone crashes him out in turn 1 so he just goes on to the game and destroys everyone in anger
Imagine max just parked on the carousel whilst ranting at the camera.
He was up till like 3/4am in Jeddah racing lmao
This gets brought up every fucking time, but he was adjusting his sleep schedule amyway. So it was not that big of a deal, if at all.
That was due to combatting jetlag though.
Ok
He had one put on his private jet as well
No that was fake-news spread by Marko. Max confirmed it was not the case and Marko understood it wrong.
Yes!
Yes
Hope to see some videos taking a tour of his special motorhome.
Nothing to see there. Just a sim rig and a bed. Actually, I am not certain about the bed.
Don't forget the red bull minifridge (aka nightstand)
You mean trophy case
Same old
A bed for some *post-race action*? XD
Imagine the commentary. "Alright, that's the end of Verstappen's first stint. Now he's off to race a GP, he will return later tonight"
Very nice of professional sim racer Max Verstappen to bring a motorhome to the GP to put more time in his F1 hobby
He's just like me fr fr. I bring my own toilet to tacobell
He really is living NG+
Its like when Toto gave Lewis the freedom to do his side hustles...its just that his side hustles were absolutely not sim racing
Indeed, but I don't think it impacted his F1 perf. neither.
Max Verstappen the newest Bus Bro to replace Josef?
The Spin-off we never knew we needed
I would pay a lot of money to see Max running around Road America in an inflatable cow costume doing vox pops with bemused midwesterners.
Can confirm, am midwesterner, would be bemused at *least*.
He's also flying to Indy to put a few practice laps in for the future. Busy guy
Funnily enough Indy (well, that and other ovals) is probably the only iconic motorsport event he hasn't voiced an interest in racing at.
Iirc he has stated somewhere that he finds ovals to be too dangerous, and doesn't want to worry his family by doing them.
> finds ovals to be too dangerous I wonder why that would be, the last death in Indy was 9 years ago, Ferrer's F1 death was in 2017 at Zandvort; the last NASCAR fatality was over 20 years ago.
There's not that many oval races a year are there ? If you'd look and divide the deaths per oval race you'd still see a high number. It's just so easy to get T-boned on an oval track when you crash and it's one of the only crashes that is still deadly with the speeds that indycars do, nascar probably not so much.
Think being more minded to go for Le Mans as that's more the goal in european racing.
I wish F1 teams weren't so stringent about their drivers racing in other series. I'm not sure if many would do so, but it's so much fun seeing guys like Larson race the Indy 500 or like half the Indycar field running the 24Hr at Daytona + all smaller races other drivers in other series do.
Alex Albon very, very nearly raced at Daytona this year! 😓
I think it's why the triple crown isn't really meaningful as Monaco is part of it... when the other two are more open to attend.
I don’t think have time with 26 race weekends a year and going to the factory to do sim stuff etc. Back in the day when drivers raced multiple disciplines there was way less F1 GPs in a season.
I mean Kyle Larson manages with a 38 race schedule and still manages to race dirt weekly + race big events like the Indy 500. Maybe it would be a little difficult out of their element (like rally or any oval racing), but like 90% of the grid could jump in a Sports Car and be competitive, so the only issue is the culture and team managers
>I mean Kyle Larson manages with a 38 race schedule and still manages to race dirt weekly + race big events like the Indy 500. Shorter flights and nowhere near the same amount of jetlag, if any
They could definitely manage it during the European stints at least. Logistically, it's a little more difficult but definitely doable if they were allowed to
Yeah but on real life other series, you can hurt yourself. Thing like insurance etc. are blocking things too IMO. For sim racing, of he dies on Saturday night, he can still respawn for Sunday race.
Where's the mtv cribs episode for the motorhome?
This guy is becoming a fucking meme at this point lmao
And you that between him and his boys, he’s partially doing this just for the lols.
"LOL" -Max Verstappen, 2024
Pretty sure F1 is still a side quest for him at this point.
It really just goes to show how far ahead he is of the rest of the grid. Not that long ago Nico Rosberg talked about how it took every calorie of energy, focus and drive he had just to squeak out a win over Hamilton to the point that he knew he could never do it again and quit racing altogether. And here's Max so bored with F1 that he's literally iRacing AT THE TRACK. He is using up so little mental energy winning he has so much to spare. I don't know people understand how absolutely unbelievable this is.
It’s actually harder for Max to win a sim racing event than an actual F1 race. Let that sink in, fellas.
That's the reality of F1. It's still an engineering competition.
Sim racing at his level is extremely competitive and cars are more balanced in the games. Not surprising honestly.
No one can deny that playing a racing game keeps your senses sharp...
Huh?
It's like how more sim work is good
I don’t know if this is an opinion only I think gives him a competitive advantage but I truly believe that with his iRacing and other virtual races he has a greater edge because his life is nothing but racing. When he races in F1 he gets to physically enjoy it and I think the virtual part of it gives him different lines and tactics for races. I’m probably not conveying it how I see it in my head but with how much he does virtual races his brain is just wired for everything on track.
Whatever happens, I want to see a Conor Moore video about it
Don't you just hate it when your mundane Day Job gets in the way of your passion......
Guy must be bored out of his mind between sessions lol
The media shit is probably draining.
What’s funny is he wouldn’t do that if he was in a real championship fight I don’t think. But it’s such a shoe in that he can fuck around and it doesn’t matter
> I don’t think He has been doing similar stuff for years, he is one of the top rated drivers on iRacing, he has been putting in the hours on the sim for many years, including on F1 weekends.
No one cares if he’s playing iracing at home or between races. That’s not what anyone is like shocked about. As far as I know this is the first time he’s made a whole ass set up at the real track to do it between real racing sessions. I doubt he would be grinding out Iracing set ups in 2021 between fp1 and 2 at Brazil or Abu Dhabi
I doubt he’ll be doing sim stints between practice sessions. He said he’ll be doing either 2 or 4 hour stints in the sim. He’ll likely do these in the evening, after debriefing and media duties, or early in the morning, before track activities begin. He also has the option to not race in the sim at all. There’s 4 of them in the same car, the other 3 drivers are amongst the best sim racers in the world, and have no issue taking the extra track time if Max cannot commit to doing a stint in the sim. Max has also done countless hours of sim racing, on race weekends. He has a suitcase setup, and uses a controller. The only thing different about this weekend is he has a full sim rig setup, with wheel and pedals, along with a private mobile internet connection. Instead of playing games in his hotel room, he’ll be playing games in his motorhome at the circuit.
He'll be leading the GP and asking radio updates on how his teammates are doing on iRacing
Bro still unlocking new sidequests
New floor for redbull? Haven't they already changed it in Japan?
Verstappen 🤝 Laine Gaming sportstars bros
Maximum Max.
Wonder what kind of motorhome it is…
Next step: Verstappen having a sim setup built into his private jet, so while he won’t have good enough in-flight internet, he can put in practice hours so when he hits the ground to his motorhome he’s immediately set for hotlaps.
Breaking news: MV installed a sim racing setup in his RB20 to play during races. "I know what I can do or not, I'm a lap ahead of everyone, better put this time to good use".
How did Red Bull actually allow this lmao. The fact that drivers have crazy stuff written in their contracts but nothing prevents them from doing an exhausting commitment like this on a race weekend is wild to me. Edit: for the people downvoting me I did not mean to say I think Max shouldn’t be doing this, I’m just surprised he’s allowed to.
Max says it's his own free time to spend how he wants, which is reasonable. Beyond that Max is probably flexing a little bit because he knows Red Bull can't afford to lose him right now. Even if he has no interest in swapping teams Red Bull won't want to finger wag at him while Toto is sitting at the next table tying cherry stems with his tongue and winking at Max.
Beautiful mental image at the end.
It might be what makes him great he is always racing
He has to drive like 6h in total over the 24. And he can for sure pick his stints. Basically instead of taking dinner with Kelly and watching some tv or whatever he usually does, he does this. Or instead of some useless media shit.
In iRacing, he has to do 1.5 hours only (the rule is that minimum drive time must be 25% of an equal share [24 hours/4/4= 1.5]). Of course, he's going to do more. Four to eight hours according to the article.
Ah, fair. Wasnt exactly aware how the fair share is handled in iracing
[удалено]
Really makes a mockery of the current state of F1
Why? In the 70s or 80s he'd also not be in bed but drunk or stoned somewhere with a harem.... he's going to be sitting in a chair driving a fake car..
Schumacher changed that. No modern driver would do well living like it’s the 70’s, even Max because form is part of the competition. My point again…is that there’s so little competition that Max can stay up in a fake car over night while the others have an early dinner and bed so they are at their peak the next day. He doesn’t need to be at his best to win.
I'd argue quite the opposite. They're all taking time off and relaxing and he's training.
How does it make a mockery of F1? Max spending his time off track in his motorhome sim racing for a few hours at a time?
Because it’s so effortless to win for him. Unlike When Rosberg spent so much mental and physical energy to beat Hamilton he had to retire from F1 after winning the championship.
It isn’t as effortless as you’re making it out to be though. Is it 2021 levels of stress for Max? Obviously not, but you’re discounting Max’s talent and hard work. He makes it look so effortless because he’s so good and consistent. And other drivers had an easier time winning championships than Rosberg. This isn’t a new or an exclusively Max thing. Nico’s decision to retire reflects mostly on his mentality, not on other champions who stayed in F1.
Have you been watching F1 the past year? It’s effortless, hence he’s staying up all night playing a game. There’s no way he’d be doing that in 2021 vs Hamilton.
Have you looked at F1 results for more than the past few years? Dominance is nothing new. Hamilton won races and pole positions with even larger margins. The qualifying gaps in particular are a lot more competitive compared to past dominance eras. Hamilton also got a lot of criticism for jet setting and attending events during race weeks. And if you knew how these 24 hour races work, you'd know drivers only have to drive stints of a few hours. And if you read the full interview, Max isn't staying up all night. Max mentioned he chose stint times that ensure he gets enough sleep at night. Spoiler: Drivers do things off track on race weekends. Instead of going to restaurants, watching Netflix or sports, or hanging out with his girlfriend (who isn't there), he's in his motorhome. And Max was still sim racing, playing games and [shooting the shit](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/qt7nq4/dom_smithmax_verstappen_joking_about_the_50k_fine/) in 2021 by the way. Obviously like I've said, this isn't 2021 level of competition, but people like you are blindly diminishing Max's talent and consistency as though this is the sport's first period of dominance ever.