Verstappen vents glitch-fuelled frustration at virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans

Imagine this; you have been leading the race since the lights went out. You're confident that you'll be able to finish the race via a checkered flag and grab first place victory. Suddenly you find yourself out in the grass with a damaged car and only just a few laps to finish. The car is totaled which means you're out of the race. Frustrating isn't it?

Well, that's what actually happened to Max Verstappen during the recent Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans using the rFactor2 simulator. He, along with fellow teammates Lando Norris, Gregger Huttu, and Atze Kerkhof was consistently battling for the lead under Team Redline. When the No. 16 car Veloce Esports 2 car driven by Eammon Murphy began to experience issues, Murphy had to fall back which allowed Verstappen to clinch first place.

But at the eight-hour mark, disaster struck the No. 20 car of Team Redline. While coming out of the pitlane, Verstappen experienced some glitches in the game which caused him to hit the No.1 Rebellion-Williams car before eventually hitting a wall. The car suffered major damages and the team had to go back to the pits for the necessary repairs.

Norris, Huttu, and Kerkhof were dismayed by what happened as they dropped from P1 to P13. Verstappen, meanwhile, had some choice words to say as to what happened that cost the team their lead.

“rFactor can f**k off. What a f**ing joke this!" said the Red Bull F1 ace.

It is not clear yet as to what exactly caused the glitch to happen. More than likely, it might have been caused by a momentary internet disconnection, causing lag. Those that play video games (whether it's a racing game or a shooting game) know that this can greatly affect a game session and affect the overall outcome.

Now while some might find Verstappen's reaction as childish or harsh, do note that all of them have been taking turns driving the car before eventually reaching first place. They were all doing their best, racing for hours on end.

But all of their efforts were quashed by a simple glitch. It also doesn't help that the team experienced another glitch during the race, causing them to not finish the race as they were not able to gain entry back into the server. Talk about rubbing salt on the wound.