Max Verstappen practised incredible pit lane overtake on live stream days before Nurburgring race

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Max Verstappen fans have noticed a remarkable detail about his viral pit-lane overtake at the Nurburgring on Sunday.

Verstappen’s team were leading Race 2 by over 30 seconds before picking up damage. The lengthy repairs took them out of contention.

Having lost a victory in March when they were disqualified for breaching tyre rules, they ultimately slipped to 39th place.

Max Verstappen replicates simulator overtake in the real world

In one viral moment from Sunday’s race, Verstappen opportunistically overtook a lapped car on the entry to the pit lane.

The four-time Formula 1 champion made a similar move on Chris Lulham, one of his GT3 drivers, in a Twitch stream just days before the race. He was able to replicate his virtual exploits on the track.

Writing on X and Reddit, fans said, ‘He literally did this on the stream on the sim’, ‘He trained that move’ and ‘He practised this exact thing on the sim’. Another added, ‘Max really driving like it’s sim racing.’

• READ MORE: Max Verstappen tipped to team up with Gianpiero Lambiase again outside Formula 1

One viewer joked that Verstappen had been ‘taking lessons’ from Sebastian Vettel, who memorably passed Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg on the pit entry at the 2016 Chinese GP.

At the 2023 Abu Dhabi GP, Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton and George Russell on the pit lane exit during a practice session, prompting the FIA to ban the move for qualifying.

When is Max Verstappen’s next Nurburgring race?

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was due to be held last weekend, but like Bahrain, it had to be cancelled due to the conflict in the Middle East.

Verstappen used the unexpected gap to carry out additional preparation for the Nurburgring 24 Hours in May. He will soon be back in F1 action at the Miami GP (1-3 May).

• READ MORE: F1 could still hold Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in October if Middle East conflict is resolved

He will then return to the Nordschleife from 14-17 May, the weekend before the Canadian GP.

Having made clear that he’s not enjoying F1 in its current form – so much so that he’s considering retirement – Verstappen could look to line up more GT3 races later in the year if the calendar allows.