Max Verstappen’s highly anticipated sim-racing return unfortunately failed to end in victory; however, with Team Redline team-mates Maximilian Benecke and Jeffrey Rietveld, the side managed to claim second.
Somewhat comically, it was Mercedes’ esports team who claimed victory in the virtual Spa six hours, which hosted the third round of the virtual Le Mans series.
Even when he’s taking a break from Formula 1 it appears that the newly crowned double World Champion still can’t get away from the Silver Arrows, who won the event with James Baldwin, Bono Huis and Graham Carroll at the wheel.
In the event, Verstappen was competing in the LMP2 category, which is the top category in the virtual series; however, the Dutchman didn’t take control of the car himself until the fourth stint of the race.
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After a poor start for Team Redline in the LMP2 class, which saw them drop a few places from their P5 starting position, the side attempted a different strategy, which proved difficult in itself following a costly crash for Verstappen.
Whilst at the controls of the car, Verstappen attempted to get past a slower GTE car at Eau Rouge, but unfortunately for the 25-year-old, though, there simply wasn’t enough room for him.
It resulted in a collision that sent the Red Bull driver into the tyre barrier on the exit of Eau Rouge, a barrier which has been victim to so many drivers in Formula 1 alone.
Thankfully, the damage wasn’t too severe, which allowed the side to continue and go on to claim a solid second place finish.
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The result actually meant that Team Redline moved into the Championship lead, with the fourth round of the five-race championship set to take place next month at the American circuit, Sebring, a race that’ll consist of four hours of on-track battling.
Verstappen wasn’t the only F1-related participant, as ex-F1 driver and current IndyCar star Romain Grosjean also took part in the event for his own side R8G Esports team in the LMP2 class also.
Their race was significantly worse than Team Redline’s, after finishing seventeenth place, two places lower than they qualified.