Le Mans virtual series winner Jeffrey Rietveld opens up about teaming up with 2-time F1 champion Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen's failed attempt in the Le Mans 24-hour virtual series saw him team up with series winner Jeffrey Rietveld.

The Red Bull driver's team was in the lead when Verstappen took over. A significant lead of around 55 seconds, though, was squandered, as the Dutchman lost multiple laps due to technical issues.

As a result, owing to the frustration of losing multiple laps, Verstappen pulled the car into the pits to end his race.

Verstappen had teamed up with Jeffrey Rietveld, who won the LeMans series on his debut last year. Rietveld was admittedly disappointed but happy to have had the opportunity to work with Verstappen. Talking about his experience of working with the Dutchman, Rietveld said:

"It was great fun working with Max. He is a very normal guy. He's just 'one of the boys' and making jokes all the time. But he is also into serious hard work and analysing data to see how we can improve everything even further. On the one hand, Max is a very good sim racer, on the other hand, he is someone with a lot of experience and a great sense of what a car needs."

He added:

"He comes up with ideas for the adjustment that we as simracers would not have come up with. And even if he doesn't participate in a race, he still helps with the set-up when he has time."

Verstappen won back-to-back world titles last season.

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You have to trust your own abilities - Jeffrey Rietveld on teaming up with Max Verstappen

When asked if it was a bit intimidating teaming up with Max Verstappen, Jeffrey Rietveld said that it all comes down to trusting one's own ability. He said:

"You just have to trust your own abilities. You know yourself what you can do, and if you train in a good way, it will work itself out. Of course. you have to be able to perform under pressure, but I often excel under pressure. I like that."

He continued:

"Like last weekend, during those overnight stints, we knew it would be nice if we could pull the gap towards the Coanda towards a minute. Then I sat down and worked like a robot through those rounds. I was totally in the zone."

Verstappen will now shift his focus to F1 as the 2023 season is about to get underway. Red Bull are expected to launch their car on February 3 in New York, which will kickstart the season for the team and driver.