Winning one race can be challenging enough for an F1 driver. After all, it took Lando Norris over 100 races before his Miami triumph. For some drivers, however, winning one race in a weekend just isn’t enough.
Remarkably, Max Verstappen managed to win two different races around two different tracks at almost the exact same time.
King of Imola
Max Verstappen took victory at the iconic Imola circuit last weekend, but it wasn’t an easy win. A tough weekend right from first practice almost cost the Dutchman the win, with Lando Norris narrowly closing the gap to less than a second behind by the time they crossed the line.
This was the first sign of chinks appearing in the Red Bull armor. The 2024 season now opens right up as teams continue to develop their cars, with the departure of Adrian Newey starting to show its effects.
This could also benefit F1 24 and F1 Manager 2024 players, with the team from Milton Keynes no longer as dominant as they were earlier this year. Now, players can chase them down in a Ferrari or even take over the team to try and recapture their glory.
Verstappen’s win was another display of brilliance from the Dutch driver. However, it wasn’t his only victory of the weekend.
Verstappen takes double victory
Have you ever agreed to do something, only to realize later that it clashes with something really important? That happened to Max last weekend.
As it turned out, he had agreed to take part in iRacing's Virtual 24 Hours of Nurburgring for his Team Redline esports team before realizing it was the same weekend as the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Somehow though, Verstappen was able to juggle both races, hopping into the virtual car just hours after qualifying had concluded at Imola. After completing four hours on Saturday evening, Verstappen then drove a stint on the virtual racetrack the next morning, finishing just a few hours before the F1 race began.
At the point Verstappen finished his stints, his Team Redline was leading the race. This remained the case even as the lights went out at Imola, meaning that Verstappen took a double victory in the space of two hours.
Max is known for taking his sim racing very seriously. He travels the world with his sim rig, with his virtual racing proving just as successful as his real-world career. Despite the potential clash with F1, Max was never going to let one race prevent him from competing in another.
“The stints were good. It’s a lot of fun. Whenever I can, I try to race, and this one worked out”, Max said after completing his virtual racing.
As a co-founder of Team Redline, Max is known to be a big supporter of sim racing. Just last year he pledged to help get more sim racers into real race cars, following in the footsteps of Cem Bolukbasi and Jann Mardenborough.
Verstappen is even listed as a consultant on this year's F1 title. In particular, Max has helped create the new handling system players can enjoy in F1 24.
Would you be able to win two races at once? Let us know in the comments below!
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