The marriage between Formula 1 and video games is quite well documented. Esport league and racing sim training aside, drivers like McLarenโs Lando Norris and Ferrariโs Charles Leclerc have been known to stream on Twitch during their downtime. So it isnโt entirely surprising to learn reigning world champion Max Verstappen has something of a FIFA addiction.
โThereโs probably quite a lot you donโt know about Max,โ Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner said around the time of last yearโs US Grand Prix.
โHeโs probably done about 14 hours of FIFA football this weekend while heโs been here.โ
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The detail that might raise eyebrows, however, is the fact the 24-year-old Dutch motorsport talent was once among the worldโs best players. Under the gamer tag โcrgboy007โ (according to game statistics site Futwiz), Max Verstappen achieved the FIFA international rank of #31 in August 2018, and an even more impressive FIFA international rank of #21 in January 2019.
This obsession with FIFA doesnโt appear to hinder his race weekend performance, either. During the 2021 US Grand Prix wherein he supposedly logged 14 hours, Verstappen managed to secure pole position against an incredibly dominant Sir Lewis Hamilton; eventually winning the race and earning his maiden world title (albeit under slightly controversial conditions).
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โIโve been with him and he can be so relaxed and itโs almost like I wish I could be like that,โ former Red Bull teammate / current Williams F1 driver Alex Albon revealed on the MotorMouth Podcast.
โThe guy is opening FIFA packs before qualifying, youโre in a different level.โ
โIโd say heโs very much the most gifted driver Iโve ever raced against. And I think itโs hard to sayโฆ we compare the greats.โ
โBut yeah, his driving does the talking, thereโs no politics, how he talks or how he speaks. Heโs very straight to the point.โ
I guess some blokes are just incapable of losing.
