New setback for Verstappen: regular driver absent after surgery

Chris Lulham will not be driving for Verstappen.com Racing at the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup in Misano. The Brit has undergone an operation to have his appendix removed and is not yet fit enough to race. On Instagram Lulham wrote: "Appendix removed, so no racing this weekend. Good luck to Jules Gounon, who is stepping in!"

Verstappen.com, Max Verstappen’s own team, had already announced that Lulham would be unable to drive due to health issues. Jules Gounon will replace him this weekend as Daniel Juncadella’s teammate.

Meanwhile Verstappen Sim Racing won the virtual 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday afternoon. Therefore Team Verstappen has already claimed a victory at the Belgian circuit, while Formula 1 will descend there this weekend for the Belgian GP.

Verstappen.com Racing also took part in the physical 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, but the Dutchman’s team encountered mechanical problems, ultimately preventing them from finishing the race.

Verstappen.com Racing has suffered a lot of misfortune and retirements recently. During the GT World Challenge Europe, Verstappen’s team retired at the Monza circuit. Early on in the race, the team suffered a heavy crash and the team were eventually forced to retire from the race.

This setback at Monza came shortly after the retirement at the Nürburgring. Verstappen.com Racing also competed in the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, but just before the end, that race also ended in a DNF due to technical problems. Verstappen and his teammates were on course for victory for a long time, but ultimately went home empty-handed.