Max Verstappen Tops His Emilia Romagna GP Victory Off With 24-Hour Race Win

Three-time F1 champion Max Verstappen clinched a tense victory at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, whilst also winning in the virtual Nurburgring 24 Hours event during the same weekend.

This past weekend, Max Verstappen achieved a rare and impressive dual victory. The Red Bull Racing star not only took the top podium spot at the physically demanding Emilia Romagna Grand Prix but also emerged victorious in the virtual Nurburgring 24 Hours with Team Redline.

The challenge of juggling an intense Formula 1 race weekend with a simultaneous commitment to a virtual endurance event is monumental. Despite a tricky start during the initial sessions at the iconic Imola circuit, Verstappen managed to maintain his lead from pole position and hold off the fast-approaching Lando Norris in the final laps.

Parallel to his physical racing commitments, Verstappen participated as part of Team Redline in the round-the-clock virtual race. Verstappen’s team, comprising four drivers, including himself, managed the virtual car through a series of shifts, ultimately leading to their victory. Verstappen commented to Autosport ahead of the race weekend:

“It’s a 24-hour race and I think there are four of us on the car. But of course, I don’t have a lot of time, Saturday night and Sunday morning.

“[I have] between two and four hours, if I’m going to do it. It depends a bit, how it works out with the times.

“You do have to go to bed on time and get your hours of sleep, of course, to start the Sunday well rested. You can’t decide for everyone what they do on a Saturday night. People can go out for dinner, do crazy things…

“It’s in my free time and I think I’m professional enough to see for myself what’s OK and what’s not OK.

The reigning F1 champion continued:

“[If something goes wrong on Sunday] they’ll say so. It doesn’t matter to me anyway. Look, as I just said, I think I’m professional enough that I know what can and can’t be done. If you don’t go to bed and you don’t sleep, it won’t be good for your race on Sunday. But I think with so many years of experience I do know what to do.

“I do it all the time. I’ve also been gaming the last few races. None of that matters very much. But people don’t talk about that because I haven’t brought that up. This time I have.”