Red Bull Dismisses Claims Linking Verstappen’s Hungarian GP Frustration to Late-Night Sim Racing

Red Bull dismisses "nonsense" allegations that Max Verstappen's frustration stemmed from lack of sleep due to late-night sim racing.

Red Bull has strongly dismissed "nonsense" allegations that Max Verstappen's anger at the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix was due to his 3am simulation racing activities.

Verstappen frequently voiced his disapproval of the RB20 car's capabilities and Red Bull's tactical choices, expressing his dissatisfaction through numerous harsh communications over the team radio. This came during a challenging race on Sunday, culminating in a fifth-place finish and including a notable incident with former championship adversary Lewis Hamilton.

Following the race, the thrice-crowned world champion responded fiercely to his detractors, using strong language to dismiss their criticisms of his heated radio outbursts.

Sky Sports F1 analyst David Croft hinted that Verstappen's frustration could stem from his participation in a simulated racing competition until the early hours of Sunday at 3am.

"Croft mentioned, without wanting to seem overly harsh, that Max Verstappen appears to be someone who spent the previous night participating in a simulation race, which is true, and then woke up early today to engage in another sim race, which also happened, instead of taking advantage of a restful night's sleep in Budapest, which, judging by his condition, he likely needed."

However, Helmut Marko, the motorsport advisor for Red Bull, dismissed the notion that the two situations were related, stating to Autosport, "He had even less sleep in Imola, it's unclear where these claims about his sleep schedule originated, and yet he managed to win the race."

"Max operates on a unique schedule compared to myself or others, and his bedtime routine is quite normal for him."

"In Zandvoort, even when helicopters buzzed above his motorhome at ten in the morning, he remained asleep. He's gotten his required amount of rest. It's nothing out of the ordinary for him. That's nonsense."

In the meantime, Christian Horner, the team leader of Red Bull, expressed: "I believe individuals make their own assumptions, however, Max is aware of what needs to be done and we have faith in his decision-making in this regard.

"He understands the requirements for piloting a Formula One vehicle, securing victories in major races, and achieving the status of world champion. Moreover, as a team, our ethos revolves around collaboration, and any conversations on enhancement strategies will consistently occur away from the public eye and not through the press."

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