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Max Verstappen wishes to define his legacy by helping young talent surge through the ranks of karting and simulator racing. The Dutchman believes that some of the professional simulator racers are capable of performing well in a real race car.
Known to be amongst the top 10 simulator racers in the world, Max Verstappen is often in the simulator racing lobbies straight out of a race. Involved in racing both on and off track, the Red Bull champion is never out of a race car. He is known to win simulator races on some technical tracks with equal dominance as he has in F1.
Asked by Sportskeeda how he would picture his legacy in the sport, Max Verstappen said:
“I have a lot of plans racing-related and trying to help young talent. So far, all of us or probably most of us have come through the karting ranks but that's also very, very expensive nowadays. So as I have my own Sim team, I do believe that there is a possibility to get back to Sim racing and I do see a lot of potential in some of these guys, that they can make it in the real world as well."
"So hopefully in a few years’ time, I can have a way of sim racers making it into a real car. This doesn't mean progressing all the way to F1 but it can be to an endurance seat or whatever. That's something that I'm very passionate about and hopefully I can make it happen very soon," he added.
Having risen through the karting ranks himself, Max Verstappen wishes to encourage young talent through the stepping stones of F1. With most of the drivers having risen through the ranks of karting, the double champion feels its a series that is becoming extremely expensive.
Passionate about simulator racing, the 26-year-old hopes to give sim racers a chance to drive professional motor racing series. He feels some of the professional sim racers have the potential to do well in real race cars.
While F1 is not a guarantee, the Red Bull champion feels other series are an opportunity for some of the sim racers. Wanting to help professional simulation racers transition into real motor racing series, the Dutchman hopes he will be able to achieve that soon.
With three world championships under his belt, Max Verstappen has started to think of building his legacy despite being young. Joining the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Fernando Alonso, the Dutchman plans to nurture racing talent. His passion for Motorsport drives him to want to give back to the racing fraternity, similar to the former double champion Alonso. ‘
Max Verstappen believes the Qatar GP was the toughest race of the season
Max Verstappen believes that the weather in Qatar has been the worst compared to any venue on the calendar. The double champion reckoned some of the drivers who struggled in the race are as fit as him or even more fitter.
Despite other venues such as Singapore being tough in the heat and humidity, the Dutchman felt that the Losail circuit venue had the worst weather on the calendar in 2023. He felt that Singapore as a venue too is on the limit for the drivers, given the physically challenging circuit and humidity.
When asked if F1 was pushing the limits with the Qatar venue, the Dutchman said:
“Yeah, when I saw the weather before coming here, I was not looking forward to it. It's just too warm, and like Lando said it has nothing to do with more training or whatever. I think some of the guys who were struggling today are extremely fit, probably even fitter than me, but just the whole day it's like you’re walking around in a sauna and, yeah, also then in the night the humidity goes up."
He added,
"The races are quite long. But it's not the only place. There are a few places like that. I think Singapore is almost like a two-hour race. And it's very, very warm. I think it's also quite on the limit of what is what should be allowed. So there are a few things to look at. But this was definitely way too hot.”
Asked if it was worse than Singapore, Max Verstappen said:
“To drive? Yeah, the feeling in the car was definitely very, very warm. So yeah, I don't think that was good.”
Many drivers such as Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, and Logan Sargeant struggled to drive in the heat. Sargeant retired as he was not feeling well and Albon needed help to get out of his car, after which he was treated at the medical center for heat exposure.
Most drivers complained about struggling with the dehydration and heat levels inside the car. The last Qatar GP was held in November which had cooler temperatures, making it less physically challenging. The 2023 edition has sparked a debate as to whether the sport had pushed the limit by allowing drivers to race at the venue in the extreme heat.
