Max Verstappen inspires sim racers with hope with his real-world success which is a theme that runs throughout this week’s Sim Racing Roundup. From inspiring sim racer turned F2 racer Max Esterson to his insights on motion rigs and his use of a simulator to prepare for an Acura prototype, Verstappen has made sim racing an essential component of his success. And you can too.
From Sim Racing to the Real Thing
Max Esterson explains how he hopes that sim racing will help him follow in the footsteps of Max Verstappen to Formula 1.
Esterson thinks that a lot of top players in the virtual world would hold their ground in real racing. He also believes that being a good sim racer helps with car racing. “We see Max is on the sim nonstop. I mean, he has a sim on his plane, I’ve heard. He gets home from the race weekends and he’s on iRacing. So obviously, there’s that example.”I think it’s good to stay sharp. The racecraft and stuff, the battling, it is kind of the same. You feel the pressure. When you’re on the grid before a race, for sure I’m feeling almost just as stressed as a real race.”
Max Verstappen explained that sim racing allowed him to experience the Acura ARX-06 prior to his actual test, which contributed to his immediate competitiveness.
Talking to driver Colin Braun, Verstappen discussed how he was worried about the car locking up in the front in the low speeds. However, when told that he was actually quite good at it, Verstappen replied, “I tried it on the sim, you have to apply very low pressure. It probably prepared me a bit“.
You can watch video of the test above.
I mentioned this last week but it bears repeating. In Max Verstappen’s recent Q&A, he was quite adamant that you’re getting a ’90 to 95%’ accurate experience even without an expensive motion rig.
“All these motion rigs are slower,” he says. Likewise while he does concede that motion rigs can give you a little bit of that G-force experience, he doesn’t seem sold on their use, generally. If you want to try and replicate a little bit of what you feel in real life, then yeah, you buy a motion rig. But I think it’s not really necessary at the moment,” he explains.”
Competitive Sim Racing News
- Inaugural Driven to Give 400 Raises Over $70,000 for Dale Jr Foundation (iRacing)
- eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series: All you need to know about the $500k championship (Traxion)
- This Week in iRacing: February 11-17, 2025 (iRacing)
- F1 Sim Racing 2025 driver and team roster lineups (Traxion)
- F1 Sim Racing 2025 esports calendar (Traxion)
- Verstappen left on the edge of his seat during battle: ‘Great racing!’ (GP Blog)
Sim Racing Tips & Techniques
- Racer Philosophies to Help You Get Better at Sim Racing (Apex Advisory Racing)
- The reason you’re slow is because you don’t ask for help (Apex Advisory Racing)
- Sim Racing Business Ideas: How to Earn Money from Sim Racing (SimStaff)
Sim Racing Tech Roundup
- I did a 24-hour endurance race with the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race — here’s how it held up (Tom’s Guide)
- Simrep debuts sim racing dashboard, MLD system (Traxion)
- Fanatec to offer permanent free shipping (Traxion)
- A tribute to the Simrig SR3 (Game Reactor)
- Playseat Trophy Review: A solid choice? (Car Magazine)
- Moza R5 Bundle Review (Car Magazine)
- Nitro Concepts S-Racer (Game Reactor)
- February 2025 Sim Racing PC Build (Box This Lap)
- Sim Racing: Everything You Need to Get Started in 2025 (Box This Lap)
- Next Level Racing overhauls best-seller cockpit with the GTRacer 2.0 (Traxion)
- Turtle Beach Introduces the VelocityOne Multi-Shift (Box This Lap)
General Sim Racing News
- Assetto Corsa EVO: Update 0.1.5 Brings Online Multiplayer Back (Box This Lap)
- Online fix finally released for Assetto Corsa EVO (Traxion)
- Assetto Corsa EVO: The Current Status of Early Access (Box This Lap)
- The Last Garage won’t be the platform of choice for eROC after all (Traxion)
- Superlap Looks at the Future of Simulation Fun (AutoWeek)
- Forza Motorsport adds nine new cars in Update 17 (Traxion)
- Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s latest update adds welcome tweaks (Traxion)
- The Engine Sounds in Video Games: How Realistic Are They? (Car Buzz)
- Canceled IMSA Game Almost Revolutionized Console Sim Racing Before Gran Turismo (The Drive)
- I Ranked (almost) EVERY Sim Racing Game: Which should you try first? (Daily Downforce)
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.
