Max Verstappen racing team disqualified after o… read more
Max Verstappen’s sim racing team, Team Redline, has been disqualified from a major esports event — the virtual 24 Hours of the Nürburgring — following allegations that the team exploited a loophole in the rulebook, violating the official sporting code of iRacing. The reigning Formula 1 World Champion, although not competing in the race, was present on the team’s live stream as a guest, engaging with fans and offering commentary alongside broadcaster Luke Crane. However, what started as a promising event for Team Redline quickly turned controversial.
Three cars were entered into the 2025 edition of the race by Team Redline, all participating in the GT3 class. The No. 71 Porsche, driven by Gustavo Ariel, Enzo Bonito, and Edoardo Leo, claimed pole position with an impressive lap time of 8:06.803. Their sister car, the No. 69 Porsche driven by Sam Kuitert, Luke McKeown, and Cooper Webster, trailed by just 0.149 seconds to secure second place. Meanwhile, the No. 20 BMW, piloted by Florian Lebigre, Chris Lulham, and Diogo Pinto, qualified seventh.
Despite the strong qualifying results, the team became the center of controversy during the warm-up lap prior to the race. Observers quickly noticed a suspicious pattern involving all three Team Redline entries. Rather than proceeding normally to the grid, the cars returned to the garage during the warm-up lap. They had initially gone out on track with minimal fuel loads and wet-weather tyres, even though the conditions were dry — a strategy that puzzled many.
Once back in the garage, the team switched their setups to slick tyres, filled up their fuel tanks, and made ride height adjustments — changes not typically permitted at that stage of the event. This move gave them a clear performance advantage, particularly in tire grip and race strategy flexibility. Although this process is technically possible within the iRacing simulation, it violates the event-specific regulations and was deemed an exploit by race officials and spectators alike.
The incident did not go unnoticed. Viewers on the live stream were quick to question the tactic, leading to a wave of complaints. The situation escalated when the live stream was abruptly ended, and the race stewards launched a formal investigation into the matter. iRacing officials later confirmed that Team Redline was being investigated for two violations of their official sporting code.
The first was a breach of Article 8.1.1.4, which prohibits “cheating” or conduct that conflicts with the “spirit or intent of the Simulation or Sporting Code.” The second violation fell under Article 8.1.1.9, concerning “nefarious tactics” — actions taken to gain an unfair advantage during qualifying or racing. According to iRacing, it is their sole discretion to determine what constitutes such an advantage, and in this case, Team Redline’s maneuver fell outside the acceptable limits.
As a result, all three Team Redline entries were disqualified from the event, despite their dominant performance in qualifying. The disqualification is a significant blow to the prestige of the team, which is often regarded as one of the premier outfits in sim racing, and it brings further scrutiny to rule enforcement in virtual motorsport.
GPFans has reportedly contacted Verstappen.com and iRacing for official comments regarding the disqualification, but no statements have been issued at the time of writing. The incident serves as a reminder that while sim racing may differ from real-world motorsports, integrity and fair play remain critical pillars of competition — virtual or not.
