Gabriel Bortoleto uses sim racing as a tool to prepare him for F1 races and in this edition of the Sim Racing Roundup you will find out how. I also have details on a hybrid sim racing and real-world team, sim racing tech news and more!
Overview
From Sim Racing to the Real Thing
How Gabriel Bortoleto Uses Sim Racing as a Tool
For Gabriel Bortoleto, sim racing is not just a hobby between race weekends; it is one of the main tools he uses to prepare for Formula 1 and compress the learning curve of every new circuit he visits. Box This Lap explains how he uses sim racing as a tool to better prepare him for Formula 1.
From Doctor to Pro Race Car Driver?
This season Daniel Morad is racing in the Porsche Endurance Challenge North America, coaching and sharing the car with his friend and teammate Roberto Tutino. He thought it would be interesting to document the process from the inside.
My friend Roberto Tutino is a surgeon who caught the racing bug a few years ago. He’s run a few partial seasons in Porsche Sprint Challenge and Porsche Carrera Cup North America, but this year he asked me something different… he asked if I would race with him.
So we decided to enter the Porsche Endurance Challenge North America, a four-race Pro-Am championship, and take on the season together.
But before we ever got to the race track, we spent a lot of time preparing. We worked through simulator sessions, racecraft coaching, and building confidence behind the wheel. One of the coolest parts of this project was bringing our Moradness Squad simulator livery into the real world. The same car we’ve been driving online is now wrapped on the real Porsche race car.
In this first episode I break down how this whole program came together, the preparation behind the scenes, and the journey leading up to the first race weekend at Sebring International Raceway.
It’s the start of a four-race championship… and things don’t exactly go as planned.
Watch episode 1 above.
Fanatec and Black Falcon Launch Hybrid Sim Racing and Real-World Team for the Nürburgring 24 Hours
The convergence between sim racing and real-world motorsport continues to gain momentum across the racing ecosystem. In that context, Fanatec, the sim racing hardware brand owned by CORSAIR, has announced a new strategic partnership with German racing organization Black Falcon to compete in some of the most demanding endurance events held at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Box This Lap has all the details.
How Great Students Win in Motorsport – with Skip Barber Racing School
On this week’s edition of the Motorsport Prospects Podcast, I speak to Dan Demonte of the Skip Barber Racing School who explains the importance of being a good student if you want to flourish in motorsport. We also talk about their sim racing series and how you can participate.
The episode webpage can be found here: https://motorsport-prospects-podcast-1.castos.com/episodes/how-great-students-win-in-motorsport-with-skip-barber-racing-school
Simulations ‘Not Helpful at All’ for IndyCar Drivers at Arlington
Ahead of most NTT IndyCar Series races, drivers will do many sessions in their respective manufacturer’s simulators to get a feel for what their next race will be. However, for last weekend’s Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, nobody has driven the 14-turn, 2.73-mile street circuit before.
“We didn’t have any bump profiling on the sim, so the actual layout of the corners are very similar, so that was good,” Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Louis Foster said. “But you can’t really do much when you’re driving on a surface that you know isn’t going to be right.”
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Reaffirms Commitment to British F4 with Prize Simulator Experience
The Wera Tools F4 British Championship certified by FIA will continue its growing relationship with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team this season by providing a prize simulator experience for the series’ 2026 champion.
Following the conclusion of the 2026 campaign, British F4’s overall title winner will spend a half-day at the home of the eight-time Formula 1 World Constructors’ Champions at their state-of-the-art campus in Brackley.
There, the winner will undertake a full session in the Mercedes-AMG F1 simulator, where they will follow a similar program to that of the team’s drivers, George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Working closely with the team’s engineers, the winner will methodically work through a bespoke simulator program as well as coaching and feedback throughout the session. They will then complete the day with post-session debrief.
Silverstone Real Life vs Le Mans Ultimate: Ferrari 296 GT3 Onboard
Let’s compare a lap around Silverstone between Real Life and Le Mans Ultimate. The real-life lap is driven by David Perel, while the LMU lap is driven by esports driver Luke Whitehead in the Ferrari 296 GT3. How close does the sim get to the real thing? Watch the onboard comparison and judge for yourself.
Competitive Sim Racing News
Game On! The MSA National Esports Season Starts Now
The 2026 MSA Esports season is about to fire up with two intense National Championships on the iRacing grid: F4 and GT3. Six rounds. Two championships. One goal… national honours.
MSA National Esports F4 Championship
Round 1: 16 March 2026
Round 2: 20 April 2026
Round 3: 18 May 2026
Round 4: 08 May 2026
Round 5: 13 July 2026
Round 6: 10 August 2026
MSA National Esports GT3 Championship
Round 1: 30 March 2026
Round 2: 04 May 2026
Round 3: 01 June 2026
Round 4: 29 June 2026
Round 5: 27 July 2026
Round 6: 24 August 2026
Whether you are competing or following the action, this season promises high level sim racing across the winter months. For more information, contact MSA at esports@motorsport.co.za or join the conversation on our Discord channel: https://discord.gg/B8sBUTHh6W
More Competitive Sim Racing News
- iRacing and DTM join forces to create new sim racing series (Traxion)
- Private Leagues Vs Public Lobbies In Sim Racing (Box This Lap)
- Get Ready to hit the track. iRacing 2026 Season 2 is live now! (iRacing)
- iRacing Weekly Tune-in | eSports & Community Events | March 18th to March 25th, 2026 (iRacing)
Sim Racing Tips & Techniques
The Best Sim Racing Builds for Every Gamer’s Budget
CarWow has put together what they consider to be the best sim racing builds for every gamer’s budget. “Whether you’re currently using a controller and want to take the next step, or you have a basic wheel-and-pedal setup that you want to upgrade to the professional level, there’s equipment to suit your needs. Sim racing can get very expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Here we’ve highlighted what kit you can get, with something for everyone’s budget.” You can read it here.
Sim Racing Tech Roundup
New Shifters and More!
- Shift Into Realism. Introducing the Logitech G RS H-Shifter (Logitech)
- Logitech’s new RS H-Shifter might be the best upgrade for your sim racing setup (Digital Trends)
- Why Cockpit Fidelity Is a Performance Variable, Not an Aesthetic Choice (Virtex)
- Behind the Scenes of Racing Simulator Development (80)
- I avoided liquid cooling for years and that was a huge mistake (Make Use Of)
- ASETEK Brings its Racing Bundle I Stateside (HardCore Gamer)
- Asetek Simsports: Initium is available in US! (Box This Lap)
- MOZA Reveals AI Coach and Motion Platform at GDC 2026 for Even More Realistic Sim Racing – ADV (IGN)
General Sim Racing News
Project Motor Racing 2.0 Update and More
- The Racing Simulator That Finally Decoded the Experience of Real-Life Driving (Robb Report)
- iRacing: The Perfect Week 13 Doesn’t Exist (Box This Lap)
- Project Motor Racing 2.0 update “rebuilds and refines major parts of the sim” (Top Gear)
- F1 2026: Matching Real Teams With Sim Racing Brands In A Completely New Era (Box This Lap)
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects and the host of the Motorsport Prospects Podcast. 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.
