Simon Pagenaud will be assisting the Cadillac F1 team with a simulator role and you will understand why in this edition of the Sim Racing Roundup. I also have details on how Thibaut Courtois will integrate sim racing into his F4 team, what it is like to race in Red Bulls race simulator and much more!
Overview
From Sim Racing to the Real Thing
Cadillac F1 Team Names Pagenaud, Fittipaldi and Eastwood as Sim Drivers
Former IndyCar ace Simon Pagenaud, ex-Haas reserve Pietro Fittipaldi and Corvette factory driver Charlie Eastwood join Cadillac’s Formula 1 roster as simulator drivers. “I really enjoy talking with engineers, developing the simulator, and making it as realistic as possible. This work gives me the feeling of being useful and contributing my expertise, something I had been missing a little since my accident. My role and my goal are to make the simulator as close to reality as possible and to lay the foundations of the car. I want to help Cadillac project itself towards reality in the most accurate way possible.”
“Our work in the simulator in Charlotte is extremely important to building the team,” Cadillac F1 team principal Graeme Lowdon said. “It’s critical on so many levels: consolidating our base performance and aero set-ups, enabling us to be race ready over a Grand Prix weekend, checking systems and protocols, but also establishing clear and effective communication channels between our bases in the US, the UK and – ultimately – trackside. Simon has brought experience and energy to the process and has helped us hugely.”
Thibaut Courtois Joins Forces with Betmaster to Drive the Future of Motorsport
Betmaster, the global sports betting and entertainment brand, today announced a landmark partnership with TC Racing (TCR), the Formula 4 team founded by Belgian international and Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The collaboration unites one of football’s most iconic players with one of the fastest-growing global sports technology brands. Together, Courtois and Betmaster aim to bridge the worlds of football, motorsport, and digital entertainment, paving the way for a bold new era that blends traditional competition with innovative digital engagement.
Founded in 2023, TC Racing is Courtois’s personal passion project. The professional Formula 4 team competes in Spain and serves as a launchpad for young, ambitious drivers seeking a route to elite motorsport. TCR is unique in its approach: the team combines traditional racing with esports and virtual racing pathways, allowing talent to be discovered, nurtured, and developed both on real tracks and in digital arenas.
This pioneering “e2Real” model sets TCR apart. By integrating esports into its scouting and training programs, the team opens the door to new generations of drivers and fans, making motorsport more accessible, diverse, and future-focused.
More information on TC Racing can be found here.
What It’s Like Driving the Racing Bulls F1 Simulator
BS+ Competition and Garret Lowe Set to Display Euro NASCAR Series Car at SimRacing Expo 2025
German sim racing powerhouse BS+ Competition will be attending this year’s SimRacing Expo, and it will be joined by a very special guest: real-world NASCAR Euro Series driver and esports star, Garrett Lowe.
Lowe is a multiple eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series race winner and transitioned to motorsport thanks to a successful Prodigy Racing League campaign, a series which heavily promoted the ‘sim-to-real’ concept.
This year, Lowe has participated in the NASCAR Euro Series’ Pro category with crack German outfit Bremotion in a tie-in with his sim racing team, BS+. With two Playoff rounds still to run this season, the American sits fourth in the standings after a string of consistent results.
Sim Racer Esterson to Race Porsche in Petit Le Mans
Sim racer and Formula 2 driver Max Esterson has confirmed that he will be joining two-time Le Mans winner, Neel Jani, and Tijmen van der Helm, in the JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 on a one-off basis this weekend at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. “This will be my first ever endurance race (and first ever race in a car with a roof!) and although I’m jumping in at the deep end with the 700 horsepower + 50 kW of hybrid power Porsche LMDH car, I feel I’m well prepared having had a solid test with the team last month.”
Competitive Sim Racing News
- INDYCAR Thrustmaster iRacing Pro Series To Return in January 2026 (IndyCar)
- 2025 Toyota GR PH eSports GT Championship: Here are the Top 40 sim racers (Auto Industriya)
- Hexagon and Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing announce winner of Future Skills Challenge (Process Control Today)
- SEMA Show & VRX Simulators Launch VRX Speed Fest Sim Racing Competition (The Shop)
Sim Racing Tips & Techniques
Sim Racing Tech Roundup
- October 2025 Sim Racing PC Build (Box This Lap)
- Trak Racer to unveil new cockpits at SimRacing Expo (Traxion)
- Nitro Concepts C-Racer Review: What If You Do More Than Just Sim Racing? (Car Throttle)
- Revosim, Axsim and Advanced Sim Racing confirmed for SimRacing Expo (Traxion)
- Upcoming Sim Racing Wheelbases 2025: Simucube 3, Sim-Lab DDX, and Moza Racing (Box This Lap)
- PXN at SimRacing Expo 2025: New GT Wheel Set to Steal the Show at The World’s Leading Sim Racing Event (GamesPress)
- Meet the $150, Open-Source, DIY VR Headset Built for Sim Racers (Extreme Tech)
General Sim Racing News
- SimRacing Expo 2025: Everything You Need to Know About the Biggest Virtual Motorsport Event (Racing Games)
- Meridian’s first racing simulator studio brings big-time racing thrills to the Treasure Valley (Idaho 6 News)
- iRacing Arcade Celebrates Demo Release with Max Esterson Partnership at Petit Le Mans (iRacing)
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
