Max Verstappen received a drive-through penalty for causing a first lap collision at Daytona in the IMSA Global Esports Championship. The four-time F1 world champion received a wildcard entry to the online race, entering under the Verstappen.Com Racing banner, driving an Acura machine. From third on the grid, Verstappen lunged up the inside of the tight Turn 1 left-hander but made contact into the championship-leading Williams-BMW entry. The GTP field passed by as both cars sustained damage but were able to continue, with Verstappen being handed a drive-through penalty for causing a collision. His team-mate Gustavo Ariel would eventually bring the car home in 12th place. Explaining the incident, Verstappen detailed how he had lost control and locked up the tyres. “I just locked up a bit the rears and in this car, it’s very hard to control that, so I just went wide," he said. "Of course, there was also the other car that I couldn’t avoid, so that was a bit unlucky there. My mistake. "After that, I think both cars had damage, so it was quite a difficult first stint. Then we boxed, almost cleaned the car I would say, [it was] almost fully repaired, so the pace was almost back. "I tried to overtake a backmarker, I think a GTD car, and he didn’t keep his line. I think he just wanted to keep out of the way, to be honest, a bit of miscommunication and I had damage again within three laps of the stint."

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Drama right from the start at Daytona! 😱 The green flag barely waved before chaos struck - Max Verstappen collides with the Williams Esports Chillblast BMW M Hybrid V8! 💥 📺 Stream LIVE on IMSA’s YouTube channel #vcoesports #IMSA #iRacing @IMSA @iRacing @MichelinUSA … pic.twitter.com/qwNqHIimZB — VCO 🕹🏎 (@vcoesports) January 12, 2025

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