“I decide what I do”: Max Verstappen on racing in Imola and the virtual 24H of Nürburgring this weekend

Max Verstappen has talked about participating in both the 2024 F1 Imola GP and the virtual 24H of Nürburgring this weekend (May 17–May 19).

Even when Verstappen gets time away from F1, he is still committed to racing. The Dutchman has his own esports racing team called Redline. He has raced alongside other esports drivers in several sim racing tournaments. He is frequently seen on Redline's Twitch livestreams, where he races virtual cars on sim racing games.

The 2024 F1 Imola GP on May 19 directly clashes with the virtual 24H of Nürburgring, in which Max Verstappen's team, Redline, will be participating. Despite taking part in an F1 race, the three-time world champion is eager to participate in the virtual event that starts on Saturday, May 18, and ends on Sunday, May 19.

In an interview with De Telegraaf, Verstappen was asked whether he needed to ask permission from Red Bull to race in a virtual race during an F1 weekend. He replied that he does not need to ask for permission since it is on his own time and he gets to decide what he can or cannot do.

"Did I have to ask permission? No, ultimately, I decide what I do. I also can't decide for other people what to do on a Saturday evening. People can go somewhere to eat or drink and do crazy things. It's my free time. I am professional enough to see for myself what is and is not possible," Verstappen said.

"Of course, I don't have a lot of time, so we have to see how it works out. I expect that there will be four of us in the car. I'll probably do two stints between two and four hours. No, of course, not at night. I have to go to bed on time and take my time to start Sunday well rested," he added.

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Max Verstappen reckons Imola GP will not be a "straightforward weekend"

Max Verstappen recently talked about how various factors make the 2024 F1 Imola GP complicated. Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, the Red Bull star spoke about the complicated track and the weather, which could play a pivotal part in the race weekend.

“I don’t think necessarily it's a more straightforward weekend. I mean it's quite a complicated track, a lot of high speed corners, kerbing, they took a few sausages away. Need to see how it will evolve the way you drive around here. And the weather as well, it's not going to be a straight forward weekend. So still a lot of things we have to get right,” 26-year-old said.

After the Miami GP, Max Verstappen is leading the drivers' championship with 136 points. His teammate, Sergio Perez, is second in the standings with 103 points, while Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc is third with 98 points.