For he was decided to take part with Group Redline within the iRacing 24 Hours of Spa, wherein he delivered a masterful drive.
Competing alongside Brazilian Jeff Giassi and German Gianni Vecchio in a Porsche 911 GT3, the trio completed in a really spectacular fifth place contemplating their equipment was not able to gunning for the win.
However the race wasn’t in regards to the remaining end result: much more importantly it gave Verstappen the boldness that he wouldn’t face any bodily issues on his F1 return on the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Central to that, as Verstappen defined on the Hungaroring, was how the brake pedal he uses in his simulator at home is set up as near identical to the one in his Red Bull F1 car by way of the drive that’s wanted to brake.
So if there have been going to be any aches and pains as a legacy of his Silverstone shunt, they have been going to indicate up on the sim first.
As Group Redline director Atze Kerkhof informed Autosport: “What’s essential for Max within the sim is that he maintains just about the identical braking method as on the actual circuit. He desires to be in a position to hit the pedal with roughly the identical drive.
“Heusinkveld’s sim pedals could be set to 130 kilos [of force], which signifies that you must push away 130 kilos together with your left leg to brake on the most.
“In actuality, virtually no one does that. However Max has his brake pedal actually stiff. And if you happen to then drive an extended race, it’s after all a very good bodily check.
“It’s not that sim racing is very bodily and {that a} two-hour stint within the sim is extremely tiring.
“However what was a very good verification for Max was that in his seating place, which is pretty just like the actual automobile, he may comfortably push away 100 kilos along with his brake pedal for 2 hours, with out his again struggling or experiencing any bizarre pains. So the sim race confirmed to him that his knee and ankle have been high-quality.”
Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing, within the Press Convention
Picture by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Psychological recreation
Kerkhof stated there was additionally a psychological affirmation too, as Verstappen’s efficiency throughout the 24 Hours of Spa turned out to be extraordinarily spectacular.
“I do not assume Max has ever pushed so quick within the sim with a automobile that was fully tousled by the BoP [Balance of Performance],” he added.
“The Porsche was actually quite a bit slower than the BMW. However Max managed to out-perform the automobile fully, just like what he all the time does in Components 1.
“What he managed to get out of that Porsche in the long run was actually fairly particular. He didn’t go away a second on the desk wherever.”
Verstappen additionally referred to as his participation within the iRacing 24 Hours of Spa a check of his focus abilities.
For whereas there isn’t not the bodily danger issue of actual life racing, there nonetheless stays enormous strain to not make errors and damage the ultimate end result.
“To maintain that automobile on the restrict for 2 hours in a row, when you’re competing towards the world’s finest Esports drivers, with a automobile that is slower because of the BoP and is harder to drive, takes a variety of focus,” defined Kerkhof.
“When you make a mistake in the actual automobile, it may possibly trigger a variety of injury and there’s the chance of getting injured. However within the sim you additionally need to cope with a variety of strain. You characterize a workforce in any case.
“And you aren’t alone in that workforce, after all. You may have two team-mates, every of whom spends 30 to 40 hours getting ready for a race and doing their very best. So the very last thing you wish to do is put them at an obstacle by making a foolish mistake that would simply have been prevented. So you might have this type of peer strain to drive as clear and faultless as attainable.”
Verstappen had additionally bought himself concerned in a high league competitors too, the place the perfect sim racers have been going up towards one another.
Kerkhof provides: “With one mistake you may drop 10, 12 or 15 locations. It truly is a psychological recreation. And it isn’t nearly driving quick laps for twenty-four hours. Throughout a race like this you even have to have the ability to cope with visitors.
“You need to be very intelligent and anticipate what is going on in entrance of you. On the identical time, you must regulate the place your opponents are. That simply requires a variety of abilities.
“However Max has mastered these abilities in such a manner that he’s presently probably the greatest sim racers on the earth. He additionally makes this a recreation for himself.
“He takes it as a problem to drive a stint with out shedding a single second, by going by way of the visitors as easily as attainable. He is superb at that however he is nonetheless getting higher at this as properly. And I feel it is one thing that helps him on the actual observe too.”
Max Verstappen, Jeff Giassi, Gianni Vecchio, Porsche 911 GT3 R, Porsche24 pushed by Redline
Picture by: iRacing
Improved abilities
There are different parts to Verstappen’s sim-racing progress too; and Kerkhof has particularly observed how significantly better the Dutchman has bought by way of automobile arrange.
“The place he has grown quite a bit for my part is determining set ups,” he stated. “He can construct a automobile round himself but in addition round his team-mates, and in a manner that he can actually add issues.
“So he has change into form of a coach for the opposite drivers within the workforce and he’s taking the entire workforce to the next degree.
“We have now 4 superb engineers in our workforce, however he has virtually the identical quantity of engineering data as they do, and these engineers along with working for Group Redline all work at a excessive degree in motorsport.
“Then he additionally has the power to truly do one thing with that data. He could make extra progress in an hour than many a sim racer or engineer is ready to make in per week, by way of discovering out what works and what would not.”
Max Verstappen, Jeff Giassi, Gianni Vecchio, Porsche 911 GT3 R, Porsche24 pushed by Redline
Picture by: iRacing
Mind capability
For Verstappen, nevertheless, sim racing isn’t nearly utilizing and creating the abilities he wants in F1: additionally it is a type of rest.
As Kerkhof factors out: “Firstly, he drives a GT automobile that’s rather more predictable than a Components 1 automobile. It is nonetheless a difficult automobile to drive, however the pace is decrease so you do not have to react as shortly to issues.
“That makes for a distinct form of driving. Secondly, Max is somebody who likes to talk on the radio quite a bit throughout a 24 hour race.
“I do know that once I’m driving a sim race and somebody begins speaking to me, I’m in a position to have a dialog with that particular person, however I do know it should value me half a second per lap, as I am not totally focused on the racing any extra. I positively haven’t got the expertise that I can cowl off the driving with for example 50% of my mind capability.
“I would like 90% of that capability to take the automobile to the restrict. After which I can use the opposite 10% to do different issues. However Max covers off every little thing with 50% after which has 50% left to speak on the radio. He make jokes and relaxes: with out it affecting his lap time within the slightest. That may be very particular.
“You solely see that with the super-talented sim racers. The blokes who’re rather less proficient are rather more pressured throughout a race, and subsequently usually tend to make errors.”
The 24 Hours of Spa was Verstappen’s fourth race for Group Redline this yr, having beforehand competed within the 12 Hours of Bathurst (which he gained), 24 Hours of Nürburgring (which he gained) and 24 Hours of Daytona (wherein the workforce retired attributable to automobile injury).
Verstappen indicated earlier within the yr that he would take it a bit of bit simpler along with his sim racing actions. However Kerkhof, who grew to become buddies with the 15-time grand prix winner by way of sim racing years in the past, says he by no means fails to impress when he does participate.
“He’s fully free in when he drives, no one decides for Max wherein races he participates,” he stated.
“But when he indicators up for one thing, he goes all in and infrequently drives extra hours than his team-mates.
“Components 1 is his job, that’s what he lives for. However he additionally enjoys driving the sim, working with the workforce and serving to create an unbeatable tremendous workforce, which Group Redline is in the mean time.”
Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing on a racing simulator
Picture by: Crimson Bull Content material Pool