Helmut Marko stops Max Verstappen from key aspect of sim racing duties after Hungarian GP

Follow us on Google Discover

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said the team will no longer allow Max Verstappen to take part in ‘late’ sim racing sessions after the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Dutchman stayed up until 3am on iRacing during the morning of the Grand Prix on Sunday to help Team Redline win a virtual 24-hour Spa sim race.

However, after a series of strategic mistakes from Red Bull during the Hungary race, Verstappen’s temper was on full display over team radio.

The Dutchman could be heard swearing at race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase while criticising the FIA stewards for their decision-making.

As a result, Marko has confirmed that Verstappen will be banned from taking part in sim-racing events on F1 race weekends in future when writing in his column for Speedweek.

Max Verstappen banned from taking part in sim racing events during F1 weekends

Verstappen has previously taken part in sim races during F1 weekends, notably during the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix when he stayed up until the early hours to take part in a virtual 24 hours of the Nurburgring.

Even though Marko rubbished claims that his 3am sim session in Hungary led to his anger over team radio, he confirmed that Verstappen had agreed not to combine the two again to fully focus on his F1 duties at Red Bull.

“In Imola, after a sim racing operation, he only goes to bed at three o’clock at night – and then won the Grand Prix. Max has a different sleep rhythm, and he had his seven hours of sleep,” said Marko.

“His Sim assignment on the Hungarian weekend at a late hour only came about because a driver had failed in his team. Nevertheless, we have agreed that he will no longer drive simulations so late in the future.”

Why Max Verstappen unleashed anger over team radio in Hungary

Verstappen went into a diatribe at various points during the Hungarian Grand Prix after Red Bull put him on an unfavourable strategy.

The Dutchman was undercut twice by Lewis Hamilton and latterly by Charles Leclerc following his final stop, dropping him out of contention for the final podium place.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

This led to a series of expletive-ridden messages to his team, with former F1 driver Tiff Needell branding him a “petulant child” in the aftermath.

He eventually finished the race in fifth and took away 10 points, after a late collision with Hamilton fighting over third place dropped him back behind Leclerc.