Verstappen: No One Dictates to Me When I Sim Race or Not

Reports emerged that Verstappen participated in a virtual sim race until 3 a.m. the night before, prompting speculation about whether his late-night gaming affected his performance.

Following criticism of his leisure activities, reports suggested Red Bull had banned the four-time F1 world champion from sim racing during Grand Prix race weekends. However, Verstappen dismissed the notion of anyone dictating how he spends his free time.

Speaking to Viaplay, Verstappen defended his commitment to both his sim racing hobby and Formula 1 performance. He pointed to past successes as evidence of his ability to balance the two: “I also drove a 24-hour iRacing event online on Imola. I won the sim race and the Formula 1 race. Nobody talks about that. I slept for six hours. Great. So, I know what I can and cannot do.”

Verstappen argued that his performance in Hungary led to misplaced scrutiny: “When I then drove another sim race in Hungary and it didn’t go well, there were stupid comments from everyone—like I hadn’t slept well and shouldn’t drive sim racing.”

The Dutchman emphasised that perceptions of his lifestyle choices depend on results: “As long as everything goes well, I can do whatever I want. If I go out for a drink on Saturday night and then win the race, everything is fine. I can also stand on my head, everything is fine.”

Verstappen made it clear that he won’t allow external opinions to shape his routine, adding that his decade-long experience in Formula 1 validates his approach: “I say this is my life, and I live my life. I’m not telling you how to live your life, am I? I have been in Formula 1 for ten years now, and nobody is going to tell me how to live my life.”

While Verstappen acknowledged the value of constructive discussions, he maintained that his sim racing is not up for debate: “Of course, you can talk about things and say: ‘Hey, Max, what you said might not have been very clever.’ But when it comes to sim racing, I say: ‘What about Imola?’ And then it’s fine.”

The Red Bull driver also highlighted how sim racing can benefit his on-track performance, citing a specific example from the season:
“In the race after that in Spa, there was rain in qualifying, and I had the sim race in Spa in the rain. And then I say: ‘I practiced well in the simulator.’ You can always look at it one way or the other.”

For Verstappen, the bottom line is clear: his unconventional preparation methods remain his decision, as long as he continues delivering results on track as he has done, winning four F1 world titles in a row.