Max Verstappen‘s night in the virtual racing world didn’t quite go as planned. The Formula 1 champion picked up not one, but two costly penalties during his stint at the virtual 24 Hours of Daytona.
Racing with Team Redline in the overnight sim racing event, Verstappen made the exact same mistake twice – unsafe pit lane entries that cost him dearly.
Each mistake came with a brutal 40-second penalty. That’s 80 seconds total lost to what seemed like pretty basic errors.
The frustration was written all over his face. While his mic was off, viewers didn’t need audio to read his lips as he mouthed “what the fuck” in disbelief. At one point, he just sat there with his hands covering his eyes, probably wondering how he managed to make the same mistake twice.
It’s not often you see the four-time F1 champ this rattled, even in the virtual world. These sim races might be digital, but the competition is intense and every second counts – just like on a real track.
There was at least one bright spot during his stream. Verstappen finally revealed something fans had been waiting to hear – the name of his new puppy. He and his partner Kelly Piquet had kept it under wraps until now, sharing the news during his racing session.
The whole night showed a different side of Verstappen – from the competitive racer making rookie mistakes to the dog dad sharing personal news. Even virtual racing can bring out the real emotions in these top drivers.
