Max Verstappen will start his 2025 campaign on Sunday evening, but not on an F1 track, not on a real track at all, in fact. The F1 world champion is primed to compete in the IMSA Esports Global Championship final at the Daytona circuit after receiving a wildcard to make his return to top-flight virtual competition.
Verstappen is preparing to pursue a fifth consecutive world title but has never made a secret of another of his hobbies – sim racing.
The Dutchman often hosts Twitch streams around his F1 commitments, participating in races as part of Team Redline, and he will take to the track for the outfit again this weekend.
Verstappen will partner Gustavo Ariel in a Verstappen.com Racing Acura ARX-06 GTP, a car he tested in the real world during a promotional event ahead of last year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.
IMSA’s officially sanctioned esports competition uses the Daytona International Speedway’s road course for the highly-anticipated race, which will last two hours and 40 minutes.
The Team Redline stream that will feature Verstappen is due to start at 6.30pm GMT. Live coverage on the IMSA and iRacing YouTube channels commences at 6.45pm, which will include a pre-race preview show.
Verstappen made the headlines last year when he was racing for Redline in the early hours of the morning ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman won the top split of iRacing’s 24 Hours of Spa event alongside Diogo C Pinto but could only finish fifth in his F1 race later in the day.
His decision to race for Redline until 3am understandably raised eyebrows, but Red Bull team principal Christian Horner downplayed concerns.
“He knows exactly what’s required in a grand prix, and we trust his judgment. I think people draw conclusions,” Horner responded to criticism of the 27-year-old.
“Max knows what’s required; he knows what it takes to drive a Grand Prix car, win Grand Prix, and be a world champion.
“As a team, we always work as a team, and discussions on how to improve will never take place in the media.”
Verstappen, a 63-time F1 race winner, is one of two wildcard entrants for Sunday’s Michelin 240 event, which uses the iRacing platform on PC.
The second will be the Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team in the GTD category, with virtual driving experts Lorenzo Manfredotti and Ole Steinbraten in action.