14/04/2020
NEWS STORY
Having snubbed the F1 eSports series, Max Verstappen will race as a wildcard for Red Bull in the second round of the BP Supercars All Stars Eseries.
The Dutchman, who is said to have described the F1 2019 game on which the sport's eSeries is based as unrealistic, will line up as a wildcard in the second round of the Supercars Eseries in a Holden Commodore.
Using his F1 race number 33, Verstappen's virtual Supercar will sport a similar livery to his 2020 Red Bull F1 car.
Verstappen will compete against Supercars' best on tracks he knows well - Silverstone and Barcelona - and other famous circuits on the F1 calendar.
The lack of real racing has seen more and more drivers switch to virtual racing, while beleaguered fans are joining the many thousands moving to online casino games, though not all of these casino operators are registered with gamstop.
The youngster is a regular sim racer and has been extremely active in iRacing competitions against professional drivers in the coronavirus-induced stoppage of real-life racing.
Despite Supercars not being one of his go-to iRacing Series, Verstappen says he's looking forward to taking on the Supercars drivers this Wednesday.
"I'm looking forward to the race," he said. "It's going to be a challenge as it's not a car I've driven a lot on the sim, but they are pretty cool to watch in real life.
"We always race with Supercars in Melbourne," he continued, "so it's going to be interesting to see how I get on against all the regular drivers. I've tried the Supercar now a few times on iRacing and it's a very tricky car to get right. I'm looking forward to racing alongside my mate Shane, or Pastor, as I call him - he's a top shunter on the sim! We race online a lot together so hopefully we can do well for Red Bull and it should be a bit of fun racing against the other V8 drivers as well."
Red Bull Holden Racing Team ace Shane van Gisbergen regularly races against Verstappen online and says he's looking forward to going door-to-door with the 22-year old online on Wednesday night.
"It's awesome that a driver of Max's calibre will be on the grid to take us on in a Red Bull Supercar," he said. "He's fast and he knows these tracks well, so I expect to see him at the front.
"He's put in plenty of hours in a Supercar online. Just like he races in an F1, he's aggressive and won't back down against anyone, so it will be great to have him on the grid this week."
Verstappen has experience in a Red Bull Holden. In 2019, seven-time Supercars Champion Jamie Whincup drove him around Albert Park in an exhibition lap at the Australian Grand Prix.
Verstappen will compete in four races on Wednesday night, two at Silverstone and two at Barcelona.
The event will be broadcast live on Fox Sports, Kayo, Sky Sports (NZ) and 10 Play from 7pm - 9pm AEST. International fans will also be given the chance to tune in live on Red Bull TV.
Fans from around the world will be able to watch online via the Supercars Facebook Page and Supercars Team Facebook Pages.