Max Verstappen, the star of Red Bull, was up till the wee hours of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix eve.
On the day of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen gave an explanation for why he woke up early on Saturday. Social media went viral with a video of the Red Bull athlete playing late into the night, but that didn’t stop him from winning handily in Jeddah.
Simulated racing is one of Verstappen’s greatest interests off the racetrack. The video that has gone viral features the 26-year-old, who is a part of Team Redline, wishing his teammates luck the night before the Saudi Grand Prix.
He responded, “Okay guys, I’m heading to bed,” to which one of his buddies replied, “4am for you, mate!” Then Verstappen answered, “Yeah! Okay, good night, I’ll talk to you all tomorrow.
Since the Saudi Grand Prix didn’t start until 8 p.m. local time, Verstappen might have needed to change his sleep plan in order to stay focused. However, the three-time world champion says that wherever he goes, he makes an effort to stay on a European schedule.
“I go to bed at about 4am because I stay on a European or even UK schedule,” the Dutchman said. “I had a late wake-up. Additionally, I’m just naturally catching up with my own sim team.
“I’m just relaxing as well; I’m driving with my controller instead of a rig here. It’s just enjoyable to spend time with people you know and not worry about Formula 1. I do it whenever I can. I hopped in and had a little fun this morning because I had an hour to spare when I woke up.”
Last week, Verstappen made threats to quit Red Bull because to speculation that his ally and mentor, Helmut Marko, would face a suspension due to the ongoing Christian Horner scandal.
Marko has since made it clear that, following fruitful discussions with Oliver Mintzlaff, CEO of Red Bull, he will remain there. Due to a break clause in his contract, Verstappen has the option to leave the team before his 2028 contract expires, provided Marko also does.
Verstappen won the Drivers’ Championship last year, his third straight, almost without opposition, and this year is expected to be even more dominant for the Red Bull virtuoso.
