Alex Albon feels there’s ‘no problem’ with Max Verstappen’s late night sim races amidst backlash

Alex Albon defended Max Verstappen's late night sim racing after backlash from critics over the Dutchman's Hungarian GP performance.

Alex Albon feels there’s ‘no problem’ with Max Verstappen’s late night sim races amidst backlash

Alex Albon and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Max Verstappen‘s former teammate Alex Albon talked about the Dutchman’s late night sim racing hobby. The Hungarian GP witnessed a crash between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, which affected their race. Critics argued that the 26-year-old’s poor performance in the race was due to his participation in a late-night sim racing event. Albon defended Verstappen in this regard.

Alex Albon in an interview discussed Max Verstappen‘s approach to late-night sim racing before the F1 race, which might be the reason behind the crash between him and Lewis Hamilton. He mentioned that some drivers prefer to analyze data thoroughly, while others perform better when given more freedom. According to Albon, the Dutchman likely belonged to the second group. This meant that Verstappen doesn’t need to spend hours studying data instead, He performs best when he can relax and follow his hobbies like late-night sim racing.

Some drivers want to crunch the data, others perform better when they are let loose. I think Max is maybe more in that direction.
Alex Albon said, as reported by GPblog.com
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The Williams driver was asked whether the late-night sim racing affected Verstappen’s performance. He stated that it’s not his place to judge, but he doesn’t see any issues with what Max Verstappen does in his free time. The 28-year-old reckoned, whatever the Dutchman does behind the scenes, doesn’t seem to negatively affect his performance.

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It's not for me to say that, but I don't really see a problem with what he does behind the scenes.
Alex Albon stated.
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Alex Albon claims being relaxed before the race helps drivers to perform at their best

Alex Albon shared that when he first started his journey in F1, he was very eager to learn everything about the sport. He mentioned carrying a notebook with him, and writing down all the details and information he noticed. The 28-year-old acknowledged, he spent a lot of time memorizing everything he wrote down. Albon used to think this method will help him understand and learn the difficulties in motorsports.

If there's anything I've learned from my work in motorsport, it has been, in the beginning when I first joined F1, I wanted to know everything, I had a notebook, I wrote all the things, I memorised everything.
Alex Albon expressed.
Alex Albon and Max Verstappen
Alex Albon and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Further, Albon mentioned that as he kept getting older, he realized that by relaxing more before the race helps drivers achieve better results. He noticed drivers like Max Verstappen put no pressure on themselves which is why they perform exceptionally well. The 28-year-old stated, when the drivers stay calm and don’t focus on understanding everything, their performance boosts naturally. Albon mentioned, this shift in the mindset helped him perform better without feeling overwhelmed.

And as I've gotten older, I've realized actually, the more I kind of just relax into it and just not put so much pressure on myself and emphasis on myself, then the results came more natural.
Alex Albon added.

Certainly, Alex Albon reckoned that it’s better for drivers to relax and not take any kind of pressure before the race. This will help them to put their best outcome possible, which will lead to better results and achieve their goals. Verstappen’s sim racing habit, doesn’t affect his performance but relaxes his body which helps him to perform even better.

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