This week I go inside Max Verstappen’s sim racing plans as he works to bring sim racers into real-world motorsport. In addition to that, this edition of the Sim Racing Roundup looks at Sebastian Job’s journey from sim racing to the real thing, how sim racing and virtual testing are new and exciting career paths for neurodiverse talents and why Lewis Hamilton uses an F1 simulator only sparingly.
From Sim Racing to the Real Thing
Sebastian Job, the sim racer who drove Sebastian Vettel’s F1 car is on course for real-world racing. The English esports gamer had won a number of ‘sim’ races – which simulate real-life races – and been signed by former F1 world champion Alonso’s esports team, which later merged with Oracle Red Bull Racing. “The speed just takes over,” said 24-year-old Job in a Red Bull film called Game to Glory, external, documenting his journey from esports to real-world racing.
If you are a regular reader of this column, you are aware of how Max Verstappen is a massive supporter of sim racing. Here are some details of Max’s latest plans as he launches a real-life GT3 team with the intention of giving sim racers the opportunity to transition into real-world motorsport.
- Inside Max Verstappen’s long-term goal to make F1 drivers out of sim racers (The Athletic)
- Verstappen has new dream: “I think that would be a very nice story” (Red Bull)
- Max Verstappen Views Sim Racing as Viable Alternative to ‘Expensive’ Go-Karting (The Sports Rush)
- Can sim drivers make the shift to F1? Max Verstappen thinks so (Tech Crunch)
- Max Verstappen’s Second Kingdom: How the F1 Champion Is Taking Over Sim Racing and Reshaping the Future of Motorsport (M Sports)
Motorsport Prospects contributor Maja Czarzasty-Zybert expands on last week’s column to explain how sim racing and virtual testing are new and exciting career paths for neurodiverse talents. You can read last week’s column here.)
The World’s First Gaming-to-Real Racing League is debuting on MAVTV! Premiering Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 9:00 PM ET—with new episodes available each week—catch all the action in this first-of-its-kind show, delivering detailed racing coverage and taking viewers inside the competition, where 30 global competitors battle across 10 intense rounds in the inaugural Prodigy Three (P3) Championship. Find out more at the Racing Prodigy website.
Sim racing has seen a rise in popularity, providing fans with the excitement of motorsport from the comfort of their homes. As Formula E gains fame in actual racing, the transition from conventional combustion engines to electric-powered vehicles is also stirring changes in virtual environments. Motorsport Week looks at how the sim racing world is adapting to Formula E.
SIM Motorsport is moving its Performance Centre from Gillingham to the legendary Brands Hatch starting March 10th. This move marks a thrilling new chapter, bringing their Race School, driver training, and exclusive SIM-to-Track days to one of the UK’s most iconic motorsport locations.
CEO Simon Ricketts explains: “While we say goodbye to Gillingham, this strategic move lets us focus our passion, expertise, and innovation in a world-class motorsport hub—delivering the ultimate experience for racing enthusiasts!”
Bookings are now open for SIM Motorsport Brands Hatch. Visit www.simmotorsport.co.uk or call 01634 563120 for more info.
F1 Chronicle asks the question, does Lewis Hamilton use an F1 simulator? “Yes, Lewis Hamilton uses an F1 simulator, but he does so sparingly and only when it serves a clear purpose, favoring real track time over virtual laps. The seven-time world champion has voiced doubts about simulators throughout his career, yet he’s logged hours when teams like Mercedes and Ferrari demanded it.” Read more here.
Competitive Sim Racing News
Join AVL RACETECH on March 04th at 18:30 CET (Start of the Broadcast) for the thrilling LMP2 iRacing battle on the legendary Watkins Glen racetrack. Exciting prizes up for grabs: iRacing vouchers worth a total of $1,111. Register to compete here.
- Porsche Carrera Cup North America series coming to RaceRoom (Traxion)
- Esports to continue with MOZA Racing (Motorsport Australia)
- Assetto Corsa Competizione (VP Esports)
- iRacing Spring Sprints (Shift Up Now)
- The 2025 Racing Season Begins (Screen to Speed)
- Hyak Motorsports Chooses SimCraft for eNASCAR (SimCraft)
Sim Racing Tips & Techniques
- Learning car control, just for the fun of it (Apex Advisory Racing)
- The Power of Positive Mental Programming in Racing (Apex Advisory Racing)
- Stay Cool Under Pressure: How Racers Can Conquer the Red Mist (Apex Advisory Racing)
Sim Racing Tech Roundup
- A Look at Novus Sim Racing (Motorsport Prospects)
- Turtle Beach VelocityOne Multi-Shift Review (CG MAG)
- Asetek SimSports upgrades Forte sim racing wheels with range-topping parts (Traxion)
- I sim-raced an F1 season and dethroned Verstappen — thanks to the ultimate sim seat (Tom’s Guide)
- Asetek Simsports Adds Aluminum To Forte Button Boxes (Box This Lap)
General Sim Racing News
- Assetto Corsa EVO update live – adds Fuji, two cars and six special events (Traxion)
- Assetto Corsa EVO Interview – New Features, VR Support, Early Access Launch, and More (Gaming Bolt)
- iRacing’s Season 2 2025: Every new car and track (Traxion)
- Mexico’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez confirmed for iRacing (Traxion)
- iRacing Development Update: February 2025 (iRacing)
- ADAC SimRacing Expo New Website Launches (Sim Racing Expo)
- Sim Racing Expo Tickets Now Available (Sim Racing Expo)
- NASCAR 25’s expansive career mode detailed, PC release confirmed (Traxion)
- Porsche and Aston Martin LMGT3s set for Le Mans Ultimate’s Pack 4 DLC (Traxion)
- New racing simulator and motorsports lounge Velocity in Houston sets opening date (Houston Business Journal)
- Houston is getting its first simulation racing lounge. Here’s where — and when it opens (Houston Chronicle)
- Gran Turismo 7’s next three-car update is typically eclectic (Traxion)
- New track layouts coming in Le Mans Ultimate’s February update (Traxion)
- Le Mans Ultimate hits highest player numbers in over a year (Traxion)
- Drag racing and open-world modes teased for PISTA Motorsport (Traxion)
- Kia Gets It Right and Sim Racing at Superlap Download (92.5 XTU)
- Alpine Sim Racing Collection (Fulllife Gameswear)
- The Crew Motorfest ramps up environment detail, multiplayer, in sweeping quality of life upgrades (Traxion)
- The Best Racing Sims With the Most Realistic Controls (Operation Sports)
- iRacing: A New Ferrari Is Coming—But Which One? (BoxThisLap)
- Gillet Vertigo And Mosport Park Heading To Project Motor Racing (Car Throttle)
- This Week in iRacing: February 25-March 3, 2025 (iRacing)
- RaceRoom updates tortuous Macau Guia street circuit (Traxion)
- RaceRoom: Introducing the Twin Forest Duel Circuit (Box This Lap)
- BeamNG’s Hirochi Sunburst set for remaster (Traxion)
- RaceRoom adds twisting real-world Malaysian hillclimb, alongside drift and 1v1 content (Traxion)
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.
