- Max Verstappen endured a difficult Hungarian Grand Prix to finish fifth
- The Dutchman now has three races without a win in the 2024 season
- Verstappen was expected to stay up until 3am on Sunday morning before the race
According to reports, Max Verstappen was busy gaming until the early hours of the morning in preparation for the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend.
Three-time world champion Verstappen endured a difficult afternoon at the Hungaroring circuit on Sunday. The Dutchman finished fifth and extended his streak of three winless races to three races.
His poor performance also came after he was involved in a collision with Lewis Hamilton which cost him a few places, while Verstappen appeared furious with his team and race control throughout the 70 laps.
And according to the Spanish press agency Brandcould there be an explanation for the Dutchman’s disappointing performances and the great frustration in Hungary.
According to the report, Verstappen was busy playing Sim Racing, a popular racing simulation game, until 3 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Max Verstappen reportedly played games until 3am in preparation for the Hungarian Grand Prix
Verstappen endured a difficult afternoon as he finished fifth after a collision with Lewis Hamilton
Verstappen is known to be a big fan of this video game. The 26-year-old driver, who started the race in third place on Sunday, has filmed himself playing the game before. However, many claim that the lack of sleep and preparation affected his performance in Hungary.
Despite all the speculation, senior Red Bull officials have now taken action for Verstappen.
Helmut Marko, a Red Bull advisor and a close friend of Verstappen, claimed that the Dutchman is built differently to other drivers and that such things cannot affect him.
“He was even up there longer in Imola and won the race,” he said. “He has his share of sleep, he has always had it, that’s nonsense.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull chief executive Christian Horner added: “I think people are jumping to conclusions, but Max knows what he needs and we trust his judgement.
“He knows what it takes to ride a Grand Prix, win and become world champion.”
Meanwhile, Horner also commented on his team’s wider problems, with Verstappen’s three-race drought the longest run without a win since 2021.
Verstappen has now gone three races without a win as he goes through a difficult run of form
Red Bull boss Christian Horner defended Verstappen, insisting his team trusted the Dutchman
“Everybody sees that we need to find more performance,” he explained. “And everybody is working hard to achieve that, so we’ll discuss it behind closed doors.”
Verstappen currently holds a 76-point lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings, while Red Bull is only 51 points ahead in the constructors’ standings.
The Dutchman hopes for another win this weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa.