The impact of esports on motorsport sponsorship is one of the topics covered in this week’s Sim Racing Roundup. Read on for some concrete examples that you can take inspiration from. You will also find details on a driver development program that welcomes sim racers, how the Prodigy Racing League is breaking barriers in motorsport and why Penske Autosport updated their sim rigs.
From Sim Racing to the Real Thing
Motorsport is undergoing a momentous transformation, thanks to the integration of digital technologies and virtual racing. The meeting of the real and the virtual has opened up new avenues not only for teams, but also for sponsors, who can now reach a global audience in an interactive and measurable way.
RTR Sports Marketing looks at how esports are revolutionizing the sponsorship industry , here are some concrete cases ranging from the Formula 1 to MotoGP, to stories of transition from simracing to the real world. Read their analysis here.
“An exemplary example of the transition from simracing to real motorsport is Cem Bolukbasi, among the first drivers to move from the virtual world of F1 to the real track. His experience shows how simracing can serve as a springboard for a career in traditional motorsport, opening up new prospects for young talent and sponsors eager to invest in new recruits. Bolukbasi is currently involved in the European Le Mans Series.”
Thanks to racing simulators, the approach to modern motorsport has undergone massive change. Sim racing has transformed how drivers train, refine their skills, and prepare their setups. Once considered a video game, sim racing has become a vital tool for professional drivers.
Thus, the Formelaustria Young Driver Programme, Austria’s first-ever professional junior formula racing academy, is not only focusing on kart talents, but also top sim racers as candidates. “We firmly believe that good sim racers have been training a lot of skills they can apply in real-world racing like car handling, overtaking, focus, or strategy,” program director Harry Miltner said.
Read more about their program here and here.
With 10 wins and 26 podiums so far, SimCraft drivers are proving the power of high-fidelity simulation. “As we gear up for our busiest weekend of the year, we celebrate the incredible success of SimCraft clients during the quieter months of 2025. From Ty Fisher’s double wins in the Yacademy F4 Winter Series to Paul Tracy’s Trans-Am victory at Sebring, our drivers have been on top form. Ryan Hardwick and Anthony McIntosh claimed GT wins in the Asia Le Mans Series, while Riley Technologies & Ben Keating secured multiple LMP2 podiums at Daytona.” Read more here.
The world of motorsport is about to witness a revolutionary blend of gaming and real-world racing as the Prodigy Racing League (PRL) gears up for its highly anticipated premiere on MAVTV featuring a grid of Radical SR1 race cars. Season 1 of this unprecedented competition will span ten action-packed episodes, airing every Sunday at 9:00 PM ET/PT from March 2 to May 4, 2025.
The video above is an example of what you can expect with the partnership between Prodigy Racing League and MAVTV. Watch Brandon and Team SuckerPunch breaking barriers in racing on the premiere of the Prodigy Racing League show on MAVTV that took place last Sunday, March 2, at 9:00 PM ET.
As Carlos Sainz takes up his new position on the Grand Prix Drivers Association, one of his priorities is to work on changing how testing is done, with more emphasis on real-life testing than simulator work which he feels will benefit rookies in F1.
“Rookies would benefit and I think F1 teams would benefit because even though the simulators are good, they are not as good as some of the engineers or people tend to believe they are. I would always choose testing, and for these guys also, than going to a simulator.”
Read more about his proposals in Autosport here.
The new Penske Autosport Research Labs facility in Witney, UK has been further upgraded after a strengthening of its simulator capability was completed recently by the renowned AVL RACETECH and Ansible Motion companies
The new five-simulator setup enables the driver of the existing Ansible Motion Delta S3 simulator at DS Penske – featuring full dynamics, 48K image rendering, a full 360° wrap-around screen and real Formula E cockpit – to interact virtually in real-time on-track with four drivers in separate Theta Seat Sport simulators. Read more about the setup in the two articles below.
- Ansible Motion provides Penske Autosport with new sim capabilities (PMW)
- Why DS Penske is Going Multi-Sim with AVL RACETECH & Ansible Motion (FE Notebook)
Max Verstappen is actively pushing for drivers to achieve success through an alternative route: namely through sim racing, in which he himself is active with Team Redline. This to the delight of Max Esterson, who followed this career path himself by starting with sim racing and eventually making the switch to real life motorsport. This year, Esterson will compete in Formula 2.
“He’s one of the best on the sim at the moment,” he adds, laughing. “So it’s nice to see. Hopefully, this will lead to something.” Read more at GP Blog.
Competitive Sim Racing News
- iRacing: More Races, Less Competition? (Box This Lap)
- iRacing: Season 2 [2025] Car and Series Updates
- This Week in iRacing: March 4-10, 2025
- The Motorsport UK Esports GT Challenge is Back (Revolution)
- TC Esports Academy: A new home for rising sim racing stars! (TC Esports)
Sim Racing Tips & Techniques
- Recognizing Patterns in Racing: The Key to Consistency and Improvement (Apex Advisory)
- The Secret Language of Force Feedback: Unlocking Tire Grip in Sim Racing (Apex Advisory)
- Defensive Driving Done Right: Stay Fast & Stay Ahead (Apex Advisory)
Sim Racing Tech Roundup
- Asetek Simsports Announces The Next Gen Drop (Box This Lap)
- Asetek launches new Initium entry-level cockpit (Traxion)
- New range of Asetek button boxes, free upgrades and haptic-ready pedals unveiled (Traxion)
- Asetek launches new product line with affordability and console support in mind (Traxion)
- Logitech G RS Wheel Hub review: ” Takes the excellent G Pro to an even greater place” (Games Radar)
- Turtle Beach Launches New VelocityOne Multi-Shift: The Ultimate Three-Function Gear Shifter & Handbrake for Racing Sim Fans on Xbox & PC (Bio Gamer Girl)
- China Awakens to Motorsports and Sim Racing (Box This Lap)
- VR sim racing just got more affordable as Sony PS VR2 gets permanent price cut (Traxion)
- Sim-Lab’s heavy-duty SQ1 Sequential Shifter is available to pre-order now (Traxion)
General Sim Racing News
- RaceRoom’s native ranked multiplayer slated for “Q2 2025” (Traxion)
- RaceRoom to add ‘Race of Champions’ inspired competitive circuit (Traxion)
- RaceRoom adds twisting real-world Malaysian hillclimb, alongside drift and 1v1 content (Traxion)
- RaceRoom teases Lamborghini SC63, its first LMDh, GTP (Traxion)
- Le Mans Ultimate Bolsters LMGT3 Content with Porsche 911 GT3 R, Aston Martin Vantage AMR and FREE Ford Mustang (Global NewsWire)
- AC EVO Racing Academy: Practice Makes Perfect (autoevolution)
- Automobilista 2 set to add wacky stadium super trucks (Traxion)
- Best racing games 2025: edge of your seat driving experiences (Tech Radar)
- Forza Horizon 5 hits PS5 in April, new cars and mode for all (Traxion)
- Forza Horizon 5 Hits PlayStation on April 29 With Enhanced Graphics for PS5 Pro (The Drive)
- Is Forza Horizon 5 too expensive on PS5? (Traxion)
- Why Forza Horizon 5 skipping a physical PS5 release matters (Traxion)
- Four bizarre DLC Nissans coming to Forza Horizon 5 (Traxion)
- These are the Best Forza Horizon Games (Hard Core Gamer)
- Gran Turismo 7’s February 2025 update: All you need to know (Traxion)
- Gran Turismo 7 – Update 1.56 is Out Now, Adds 3 New Cars, New Racing Events and Enhancements to Sophy (Gaming Bolt)
- The 5 best additions in Gran Turismo 7’s latest update (Traxion)
- I Drove GT7’s Newest Cars to See If They’re Any Fun (autoevolution)
- MotoGP 25 game unveiled, includes flat track, minibikes and ‘arcade’ mode (Traxion)
- Tokyo Xtreme Racer PS5 and Xbox fate remains ‘to be determined’ (Traxion)
- What to expect from Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s full release (Traxion)
- Motorsport Games strikes fresh settlement plan for Le Mans Ultimate developers (Traxion)
- Brand New Setups on the Brand New Tyre Model For All GT3 Cars in Le Mans Ultimate (Coach Dave Academy)
- Traxion Control Podcast – The best racing games this decade (Traxion)
- Honda Joins JDM: Japanese Drift Master With Several Models (Bleeding Cool)
- SKR Sim Racing Center puts Lansdale in fast lane (The Reporter)
- Velocity Sim Racing Lounge is now open at Sawyer Yards in Houston (Community Impact)
- Racing Master, NetEase’s hotly-anticipated supercar racing sim, finally set to release (Pocket Gamer)
- Architect for destruction: New BeamNG.drive editing tool enhances building customisation (Traxion)
- Popular sim racing game’s new AI “doesn’t summarize your emails,” but I’m hopeful it might have implications for a future Xbox title (Windows Central)
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.
