Max Verstappen Insider opens up on the F1 champ’s ‘way of unwinding’

Max Verstappen, the four-time world champion, apparently hops on to simulator racing to unwind himself after a hectic race weekend. Raymond Vermeulen, the Dutch driver's manager, made this revelation, talking about his love for sim racing.

Verstappen is currently at the pinnacle of F1, winning four back-to-back titles from 2021 to 2024. His dominance with Red Bull has shattered many records in the last couple of years. The Dutchman is on his way to try to defend his title again in 2025, but the competition from rivals has also leveled up.

That being said, the present F1 schedule is demanding with 24 races per season. Hence, drivers often face fatigue due to mental and physical stress. Many racers find ways to unwind themselves but Verstappen's way of unwinding apparently includes racing.

The Dutch driver's manager Raymond Vermeulen, while speaking to Motorsport.com, revealed that Max Verstappen likes to do sim racing whenever he gets some free time.

"For him, it's a way to unwind. Some people play football, others go play snooker, but Max goes sim racing, works on set-ups, and calls Thierry and the other Verstappen.com Racing drivers to ask how testing went. For Max, this is what relaxation looks like," Vermeulen said.

Interestingly, Verstappen also backs a sim team called 'Team Readline' under his 'Verstappen.com' initiative. He often takes part in sim competitions when he is not racing in F1.

Meanwhile, this year, the four-time world champion will likely have to spend more time on the simulator with Red Bull Racing as their car, RB21, is lacking pace and performance to challenge McLaren. Despite his recent win in Japan, Max is not happy with the car's balance and reliability.

Hence, with the season progressing, Red Bull is expected to bring a set of upgrades sooner than later.

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Red Bull is lagging behind in progress as Max Verstappen voices frustration

Max Verstappen at F1 Grand Prix Of Japan - Source: Getty

Red Bull is seemingly not the fastest team on the grid anymore, as McLaren has covered ground this year. While Max Verstappen got his first win of the season in Japan, he complained of balance issues with the RB21. Talking to The Race.com, he said:

"We know our limitations. So we just have to try and run against that limitation as much as we can. It's still not fixed. This is hopefully going to be fixed soon, but I cannot give you a timeline on that. It's just about trying to find that limit, which is really sensitive for us at the moment."

According to The Race, Red Bull has reportedly made only 25% progress in fixing balance issues that Verstappen voiced out. Hence, it's likely a long journey for Red Bull if they continue on this trajectory.

McLaren is comfortably leading the constructors championship with 111 points in three races.