Real world or virtual... I want to win it all, says Max Verstappen as the world champion credits e-sports for making Formula One more accessible
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You would think Max Verstappen might want to slow down after his hectic, world title-winning, globetrotting season. But fewer than 24 hours after collecting his Formula One drivers' champion trophy in Rwanda, where he was serving his punishment for swearing at the Singapore Grand Prix in October by attending a motorsports grassroots development programme, the Dutchman sits down with Mail Sport in a convention centre in Madrid.
![[Verstappen attended a GAMERGY event in Madrid to see the Heineken Player 0.0 Global Final]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/15/21/93175727-0-image-a-5_1734299319685.jpg)
A few metres away, 18 racers from around the world are taking part in a virtual race around the Zandvoort racetrack, home of the Dutch Grand Prix, as part of a gaming festival. Much has been documented about Verstappen's own love for virtual racing — he has a simulator in his motorhome. In May, he used it to win two races in 24 hours — Formula One's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola for Red Bull, and the virtual Nurburgring 24 hours for Team Redline, alongside a team of four.
![[Verstappen pictured (second from right) posing for a photograph with the finalists in Madrid]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/15/21/93175725-0-image-a-4_1734299314021.jpg)
'He is basically a racing machine so it is not unusual for him to be doing that,' said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. Two months later, Verstappen was reportedly told to pull the plug on late-night gaming sessions during race weekends after he stuttered to a fifth-place finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix, though the Dutchman insisted there was nothing to worry about. So is it simply a hobby or part of his routine?.
