Helmut Marko provided an update on what Red Bull and Max Verstappen actually agreed on concerning late night sim racing sessions.
The 26-year-old was under heavy fire following the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend because he stayed up until 3 AM before the race to participate in an online racing tournament.
Many F1 experts (such as the 2016 Champion Nico Rosberg) saw this as unprofessional. It was suggested that Verstappen's overly aggressive behavior (on team radio) and imperfect performance were a direct result of his lack of sleep.
Consequently, Red Bull had to have a discussion with the triple World Champion, and on Wednesday, ahead of the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, Helmut Marko stated Verstappen would no longer take part in the late-night sim racing sessions.
However, when the race weekend in Belgium started, Verstappen said something different. The 26-year-old asserted there was no ban on his activities and that he could do what he wanted just as any other member of the team.
So is he allowed to participate in the late-night sim races, or is he not? Helmut Marko answered this question when he told Sky Sports Germany after the Belgian Grand Prix weekend:
"We have agreed that in the future, he will not drive well past 00:00, even though he has a completely different rhythm of life."
"But still, you have to avoid things like this that are understandably attacked in public. It is a very strong recommendation."
The 81-year-old noted the sim racing at 3 AM in the morning wouldn't have been a problem if the Dutchman won in Hungary, but the criticism was inevitable after a P5 result (and almost a DNF after a collision with Lewis Hamilton). He added:
"If a race doesn't go the way you want it to and you finish in fifth place, for example, then you have to avoid this kind of thing."
"And we know that sim racing is his biggest hobby. It was also not his intention to drive a part in that race, until a team-mate had to give up."
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