F1 champion Max Verstappen in hilarious crash alongside fellow Red Bull star

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Australia, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Verstappen in hilarious crash alongside fellow Red Bull star

Max Verstappen's racetrack expertise don't always translate to the gaming world

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 20 March 2025 22:56

An uncharacteristic crash for reigning Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has been revealed during an online gaming session ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.

When the four-time world champion is not out on the racetrack, he frequently takes part in live e-racing streams, usually with his professional sim racing outfit Team Redline, with the Dutchman previously winning prestigious events such as the Nurburgring 24 Hours and 24 Hours of Spa.

Ahead of this weekend's Chinese GP, Verstappen has swapped online racing for the popular online game Fortnite where the Red Bull star took part in a live stream with Australian YouTuber Lachlan Power at Fortress in Melbourne.

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The professional gamer is known for his video game commentaries of Fortnite Battle Royale, and in 2020 launched a professional esports Fortnite team called PWR.

Verstappen crashes in Red Bull Fortnite stream

Power is a hugely successful content creator who boasts over 15 million subscribers on YouTube channel 'Lachlan' and is also signed to Red Bull as an athlete thanks to his online gaming success.

In a link-up between the two Red Bull athletes in Australia last weekend, Verstappen joined Lachlan to play Fortnite, with his latest YouTube video introducing viewers to Verstappen, naturally hyping up the 27-year-old's success and incredible achievement of becoming a four-time F1 world champion.

Therefore, when it came to Verstappen’s chance to get into the driving seat during the gaming collaboration, Lachlan was confident to let the Dutchman sit behind the wheel.

Once the duo had run through some basic rules for Fortnite, Lachlan handed the driving over the the highly experienced Verstappen, saying: "There, you take the driver's seat."

The YouTuber sat back and relaxed after letting the Red Bull driver take the wheel, adding: "Here we go, we've got Max Verstappen in the driver's seat, let's go."

However, Verstappen had only driven the car for a few seconds before he crashed into an obstacle, a light-hearted moment in the stream which stood in contrast to the dynamic introduction of the champion at the start of the video.

In fairness, it appeared to be Verstappen’s first experience of the Chapter 6 map, but the champion soon adapted to his new machinery as the stream continued.

Verstappen may undertake further sim racing events in 2025, although Red Bull will be keeping an eye on his late night exploits to avoid a repeat of the Dutchman's team radio tirade at the 2024 Hungarian GP.