Watch: Max Verstappen continues to race in the simulator beyond 2:20 am after F1 Hungarian GP qualifying

Max Verstappen was recently seen racing in an eSports race from his simulator long after the 2024 F1 Hungarian GP qualifying session. It was reported that he participated in another stint at around 2:20 am CEST.

The three-time world champion secured P3 for the 2024 F1 Hungarian GP. He was quite frustrated by the result as he was unable to clock a faster lap than the two McLaren drivers, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri, who secured P1 and P2, respectively.

In the Q3 session, Verstappen clocked the third-fastest lap, after which the yellow flags waved around Hungaroring due to Yuki Tsunoda's crash. This caused the entire session to be red-flagged. Though the session was resumed for a few minutes, Verstappen remained in P3.

While qualifying was taking place in Hungary, Verstappen's eSports team, Redline, was taking part in 24 hours of Spa race in iRacing. The team was also streaming the race with their drivers on Twitch. Soon after qualifying, the Dutchman joined his eSports team and started his stint with them.

Even after an entire F1 qualifying session, the three-time world champion was eager to race in iRacing and help Redline. According to a fan account on X, the Red Bull star even participated in a second stint late at night after negotiating with his team members.

On several occasions, Verstappen has expressed how he is a massive fan of sim racing. He is frequently seen participating in various virtual races in iRacing, rFactor 2, Assetto Corsa, and more video games.

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Max Verstappen shares his thoughts after losing qualifying positions to McLaren drivers

Max Verstappen recently talked about how Red Bull's RB20 was not the quickest during the 2024 F1 Hungarian GP qualifying. The Dutchman only managed to finish P3, losing to both McLaren drivers, Lando Norris (P1) and Oscar Piastri (P2).

Speaking in the post-qualifying press conference, Verstappen said that though his team's car was slower than McLaren's, he was positive that the upgrade package by Red Bull was working. He said:

"It was alright, but not good enough. The whole weekend has just been a little bit too slow. We tried to optimize everything, tried quite a few things with the car. At the end, still too slow. So, yeah, it is what it is. The upgrades are definitely working, but we are still not the first, right? So we need more. It's as simple as that".

Verstappen added:

"I was very happy with the laps but balance wise, everything is really on the edge. I'm pushing as hard as I can and then you have little moments here and there. I feel like I probably push harder than I did last year but it's just not coming anymore to have these great lap times".

Max Verstappen currently leads the 2024 F1 drivers' championship table with 255 points. He is chased by second-placed Norris (171 points) and third-placed Charles Leclerc (150 points).