NASCAR has signaled their support for using sim racing as a legitimate driver development path and I have the details in this week’s Sim Racing Roundup. You will also learn how Red Bull uses sim racing for on-track success, how a Williams driver uses the sim and more!
Overview
From Sim Racing to the Real Thing
NASCAR Says Sim Racing Is Becoming the New Path Into Motorsports
For decades, aspiring race car drivers followed a familiar path. Start in karting, work through local tracks, attract sponsors, and hope the opportunities eventually lead somewhere bigger. According to NASCAR Senior Director of Sim Racing Ray Smith, that path is changing.
“You want to write music, you go to Nashville. You want to be a model, you go to New York. You want to be an actor, you go to L.A. You want to be in motorsports, you go to Indy or Charlotte,” Smith told Insider Gaming. “But nowadays, you want to be in motorsports, go to the sim, go to iRacing.”
Read more at Insider Gaming here.
How Red Bull Racing Turns Esports Wins Into Success on Track
Paul Keith explains how Oracle Red Bull Racing have built the best sim racing team in F1 and are using the skills and techniques honed in esports to gain an edge on the racetrack.
“Red Bull Racing uses the skills and experience built in the sim racing arena to improve performance on track. The sim drivers themselves have a key part to play within the F1 race team. “They’re pushing their sim racing drivers to become simulator drivers for the F1 team, and no other team is doing that,” added Job, who is also a Verstappen Sim Racing driver.”
Read more at the Red Bull website here.
Williams Driver Explains Why F1 Struggles are ‘Valuable’ to His Career Growth
Williams might be in the midst of an early Formula 1 season struggle, but it possesses a benefit of a driver laser-focused and determined in its ranks, in the shape of Luke Browning, and sim racing plays a big part in how he supports the team.
“I think sometimes struggle is the best place to learn,” he told Motorsport Week in an exclusive interview. “And for me, the understanding why maybe it’s not quite gone perfectly, and how to improve, and then understanding that in the simulator, seeing the development path, and then going through this journey is just so valuable for me. And I feel quite lucky to be able to do the simulator work alongside Super Formula this year. Super Formula is keeping me super race fit.”
Read more at Motorsport Week here.
Prodigy Search Highlights
This Is How a Simulator Compares to a Real Track-Day Experience
Track day experiences are some of the best automotive experiences that money can buy. You can take nearly any car you want on the track and push it to its limit. However, it’s not easy to get prepared for such an adventure. But can a racing simulator help you prepare for a track day experience?
Henry Kelsall looks into how a simulator compares to a real track-day experience.
The Simulator Company Taking Over F1 and the Wider Motorsport World
Dynisma Motion Generators has just launched its third simulator for the motor racing industry and Autosport went down to check it out.
“That technology has seen it become the go to simulator provider for not just F1 teams, but squads across a range of championships from Formula 2, Formula E, the World Endurance Championship and even stateside for IndyCar. It simply comes down to whether teams are prepared to spend up to £10million building their own in-house model, or put that money towards a readymade platform that “will always be the most responsive, have the highest bandwidth and lowest latency” – the time delay between action and response – according to Warne.”
Competitive Sim Racing News
iRacing, FIA Partner for Return of F4 Esports Global Championship presented by MOZA
Eight-race championship kicks off October 31; $35,000 in prizes on the line
For the third consecutive year, iRacing and the FIA are pleased to announce the FIA F4 Esports Global Championship presented by MOZA. After a highly successful inaugural season in 2024 and an even bigger campaign last year, the eight-race championship, featuring the world’s most talented open-wheel sim racers, will return starting on October 31. Racers will once again compete for their share of a $35,000 prize pool, with live broadcasts across iRacing social media channels.
Already one of the most popular cars on iRacing thanks to its high approachability and fun factor, the FIA F4 is also supported by a massive global initiative where racers receive access to the car through their FIA national sporting authorities (ASNs). Drivers can qualify for the series through their performance in iRacing’s FIA F4 Esports Regional Tours, which will run during 2026 Season 3. The top 10 eligible drivers from the Europe, America, and Asia-Pacific Regional Tours will be invited to participate in the Global Championship.
Last season, Henry Moore locked up the championship as the only repeat winner on the season, taking three wins in eight rounds. The 2025 field included numerous crossover drivers from other iRacing pro esports series, and all three qualifying global regions placed at least one driver in the top 10 of the final standings.
As in previous seasons, the FIA F4 Esports Global Championship presented by MOZA will feature four doubleheader events on October 31, November 7, November 14, and November 21. These events will showcase driver adaptability, as drivers won’t know the tracks they’re competing on until 24 hours before each event, and they’ll also be racing with fixed setups to ensure an equal playing field.
For more information on the FIA F4 Esports Global Championship presented by MOZA, visit www.iracing.com/fia-f4-esports/.
For more information about iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.
To learn more about the FIA x iRacing partnership, visit www.FIA.com/iracing.
More Competitive Sim Racing News
- F1 Sim Racing 2026: Ferrari comes close to a historic double world championship after thrilling finale (Ferrari)
- 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship – Event Four Report (McLaren)
- iRacing 2026 Season 3 is HERE! (iRacing)
Sim Racing Tips & Techniques
Learn Tracks Quickly Without The Racing Line
Sim Racing Tech Roundup
This Sim Wheel Feels Like It Belongs in a Real Race Car
- Aston Martin Made An $80,000 Valkyrie You Can Only Drive In Your Living Room (Car Scoops)
- Aston Martin and Curv reveal new Valkyrie Hypercar racing sim (T3)
General Sim Racing News
Nurburgring Realism, Spanish GP Mods and More
- Here are the six coolest things from the 2026 SimRacing Expo (Top Gear)
- Summer Game Fest shows that racing games are having a resurgence (Traxion)
- Busy Dads Are Quietly Transforming Sim Racing Forever (Box This Lap)
- Race the F1 2026 Spanish GP at Home: Best Assetto Corsa Mods for This Weekend (Box This Lap)
- Official racing games are still searching for perfection (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.
