Max Verstappen jokingly asked to avoid having to answer a question focusing on his crash at a virtual racing event last weekend.
While most drivers on the grid will have chosen to spend their weekend off doing other things outside racing, Verstappen was still competing. With no Formula 1 race, he instead took part in the virtual 6hrs of Spa endurance race.
Things went fairly well for his Redline team, as the Dutchman finished second alongside team-mate Maximilian Benecke and Jeffrey Rietvald. But it seems he was left frustrated by a spin he had at the infamous Eau Rouge corner which cost his team time.
Asked about the race in the press conference ahead of this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix, the Red Bull star appeared keen to avoid dwelling on it. "It was quite eventful to be honest. Can we skip that?" he asked before laughing, and adding: "It was okay but I had a moment in Eau Rouge."
Interviewer Tom Clarkson then asked: "Not, a small moment then?" basing that assumption on Verstappen's reluctance to talk about it. And the race replied: "No. It was quite a big moment, It happens." And the conversation moved on swiftly to another topic from there.
Sim racing has become a much-enjoyed hobby of Verstappen's. Earlier this year he took part in the Virtual 24hrs of Le Mans, and his team had a significant lead at one point – but then he crashed at the Ford Chicane, slamming into the barriers and causing too much damage to his left rear wheel to be able to continue.
Speaking in the past about why he takes part in online racing, Verstappen made it clear that he sees it as training for his real-life efforts, as well as for fun. "It keeps me ready to go, because I'm spending a lot of time also then on the setup," he explained.
"I'm not racing a Formula 1 car on the simulator, but it's like GT cars, so it's also a different technique of driving. I just keep testing myself, and especially these sim drivers... they're so quick!
"On the simulator, these guys are the benchmark and I have to push myself to that limit. I like to test myself and improve myself to also learn from them so [in] my downtime, I'm still trying to improve myself, which I think also helps me in real life."
