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Verstappen keeping skills sharp online during down time

Max Verstappen has been crowned champion of Team Redline's Real Racers Never Quit esports series, despite further heroics from his closest rival.

Thirty five racing pros lined up for the final round of Team Redline's Esports series with drivers in LMP2 machinery at Suzuka on iRacing.

Verstappen came into the final round with six wins to his name out of a possible 10 races, but there were to be no further wins to add to the tally at Suzuka.

Instead Audi factory driver Kelvin van der Linde, his closest rival in the title fight, won both races from pole at Suzuka.

The opening race presented Verstappen with a great chance of victory after he qualified P2 to start alongside Van der Linde.

He would get the jump on him on the first lap to the lead the race, but the Dutchman was then sent wide after contact at the start of the next lap, dropping him to P7.

An attempted pass on Tom Dillmann ended in disaster for Verstappen as he dropped further still to P9.

Verstappen would ultimately recover to P6, passing 2019 Macau Grand Prix winner Richard Verschoor, Formula E championship leader Antonio Felix da Costa, and ex-Formula E racer Dillmann.

But the Dutchman was nonetheless able to take the championship by 60 points over Van der Linde after finishing P3 in race two behind fellow F1 racer Lando Norris as Van der Linde again took the win.

After the event Verstappen said: "Race one, I could have possibly won the race, but it is what it is.

"It was all about collecting the points, which I needed after my PC crash after Interlagos, otherwise it would have been won already.

"These cars are fun, it was my first day of driving them."

- TEAMtalk media

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