"They can f**k off": Max Verstappen does not mince his words in reply to his sim racing critics

Max Verstappen has issued a staunch reply to all the critics who have called out his sim racing activities. The Red Bull driver has stated that sim racing helped him perform better in the qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps, and therefore, has asked the critics to "f**k off."

Verstappen was subjected to plenty of criticism following his midnight sim racing antics ahead of the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix. The Dutchman stayed awake to race in the 24 Hours of Spa till 3 AM and went on to race at Hungaroring in F1 the next morning.

However, the outcome of the race was underwhelming for him, and during the race, he used expletives aplenty. Pointing towards the three-time world champion's late-night sim racing schedule, Sky Sports F1 commentators Nico Rosberg, David Croft, and Ted Kravitz shared their take.

They asked if racing online the night before an actual F1 race was wise. Furthermore, they also compared Lando Norris' sleeping schedule with that of Max Verstappen. In a nutshell, the Red Bull star was far from happy with all the criticism he has been receiving.

"Last week I drove in the rain a lot, in the simulator here at Spa," Verstappen said to Dutch media Viaplay. "Being on the sim is not so bad after all, while most people are nagging about that. They can f**k off.” (Translated to English from Dutch)

Thanks to his 24 Hours of Spa routine, Verstappen was indeed able to claim pole position in the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix. However, he will start from P11 after incurring a 10-place grid penalty for taking an extra Internal Combustion Engine.

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Max Verstappen pulled up a wet weather masterclass at Spa-Francorchamps

Pole position qualifier Max Verstappen and Damon Hill (Image source: Getty Images)

After being fastest in two of three Free Practice sessions, Max Verstappen claimed the pole on Saturday as he was almost six-tenths faster than Charles Leclerc in P2. The Dutchman clocked 1:53.159 on the timesheet.

"It was a nice qualifying. Luckily the weather was okay. It was just raining a little bit and at least we could do a decent qualifying," Verstappen said in the post qualifying interview. "Very happy. The car was working quite well in the wet. I could just do my laps and try to do clean lap times in the wet, which is always quite tricky."

Max Verstappen will want to get up the field quickly and set himself up for the race win, or at least a podium at the Belgian GP. The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps has been a happy hunting ground for him, and it will be interesting to see if he manages to repeat his valiance come Sunday.