Max Verstappen has told Red Bull to ban Daniel Ricciardo from the simulator to allow him more time to practice. The double world champion admitted he doesn’t want a “test driver” working in the sim as he to do the laps himself.
He claimed the laps were “worth doing” as everyone has a different style which could lead to different results. The Dutchman also revealed he liked being at the factory as he gets bored at home.
He told Speed Week: “Sometimes the days in the sim are long but I am convinced that this kind of work is worth doing. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t want there to be a test driver working in the simulator like other teams do.
“I want to work on it myself because everyone has their own driving style. It helps me keep my concentration. After all, there’s not much to do at home other than train on the simulator. Plus it’s something I enjoy.”
READ MORE: Red Bull chief Helmut Marko responds to Max Verstappen outburst
He even stressed beating Verstappen’s times could act as a confidence booster if he “gels” with the Red Bull package straight away. He explained: “Going back to Red Bull, I think there is, of course, an element of me which is curious in terms of just jumping on the sim and seeing how I do, even just for myself.
“[It is] a car that, of course, it’s changed in the last four years, but a car that obviously I knew well [and] had a lot of success with. I’ll be able to get an idea. I think I’ll know. Obviously, if I’m there on lap times on the sim, I think that would give me the confidence that then I could obviously replicate it on track.
“But if I’m half a second off on the sim, then maybe I’ve got old!”
