Max Verstappen owned up to causing a crash during his latest virtual racing appearance in the IMSA Esports Global Championship. The F1 superstar tangled with the championship leaders in a moment that had everyone holding their breath.
“I just locked up a bit, locked the rears,” Verstappen explained after his driving stint. “With this car, it’s really tough to control that. I went wide and couldn’t avoid hitting the other car. That was a bit unlucky there, my mistake.”
The crash couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Williams team he collided with was leading the championship, with Team Redline breathing down their necks in the title fight.
It wasn’t Verstappen’s day from there on out.
“Both cars got banged up pretty badly,” he said. “That first stint was really difficult with damage everywhere.”
Things briefly looked better after a pit stop got his car mostly fixed. But his luck didn’t last long.
While trying to pass a slower GT3 car, another mishap led to more damage. “I think he wanted to move out of the way, but we had a bit of miscommunication. Within three laps, I had damage again. Not exactly what I was hoping for.”
Verstappen and teammate Gustavo Ariel limped home to 12th place.
There was a silver lining though – at least for Williams. Despite the early drama, they managed to finish tenth, scoring just enough points to wrap up the championship.
For Verstappen, it was a reminder that even virtual racing can bite back when you least expect it.
