F1 champion Max Verstappen disqualified from sim race after ‘horrendous overreaction’

In a shocking turn of events, two-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen was disqualified from a recent sim race on iRacing following what has been dubbed a ‘horrendous overreaction.’

With a 99-point lead in the real-world F1 circuit, Verstappen‘s racing prowess is indisputable. Yet his passion for racing extends beyond physical tracks; the Dutch driver is an enthusiastic sim racer, often found competing and honing his skills in the virtual world when he’s not in an actual race car.

And it seems he’s facing tougher competition in sim racing than he is in F1 these days.

Verstappen, who earned pole position for the Golden Toast GP at the Spa-Francorchamps track, found himself involved in a controversial incident halfway through the three-hour GT3 race.

With just under two hours remaining, Verstappen was part of a group of cars approaching the first turn. But in a surprising twist, German racer Sven-Ole Haase hit Verstappen from behind, causing him to collide with teammate Diogo Pinto. Both were sent spinning out of control, prompting suspicions of a revenge move from Haase.

However, the madness was only beginning. After quickly regaining his composure, Verstappen stormed back into the race. Following closely behind the same group of racers as they sped up through the hills at Spa, it became apparent that Verstappen had his own plans.

The official livestream commentator noticed Verstappen’s dramatic maneuver, saying, “Max Verstappen, I think, is making a statement. It’s going to be ugly, just give it a sec. Just wait, just wait, here we go.”

Verstappen took an off-track shortcut to catch up to Haase and then, just as Haase braked for a corner, the F1 champion refused to brake, ramming his rival off the track and into the barriers.

“Sven Haase not the best friend of Max Verstappen after all that,” noted the commentator.

A video clip from moments earlier revealed that Haase had nudged Verstappen slightly wide through the Bus Stop chicane. At the time, it appeared that Verstappen immediately retaliated by giving Haase no room on the next corner, but an in-car replay shows that he was actually trying to steer clear. This incident highlighted a known netcode issue known to the iRacing community as ‘magnet tires.’

Unfortunately, Haase was unaware of Verstappen’s netcode issues, which led him to seek revenge on the track.

“I’m afraid Verstappen has overreacted horrendously to that,” the commentator noted, as Verstappen was disqualified from the race soon after.

Despite his real-world dominance, Verstappen’s disqualification shows that the virtual track can be just as unforgiving.