Motorsports have long been a pay-to-play arena, with young drivers spending hundreds of dollars simply to start in karting. 4-time Formula One champion Max Verstappen knows this all too well, but he also sees a method to change it through sim racing, a virtual type of automobile racing that closely replicates real-world racing.
It’s possibly less crazy than it sounds. The game has evolved right into a serious proving ground for talent, with detailed setups and tire management — minus the crushing financial barrier. In actual fact, Verstappen, a passionate sim racer himself, believes the perfect virtual drivers deserve a shot in real cars.
His ultimate vision, he tells The Athletic, is creating his own racing team, one which merges elite sim racers with traditional racers. While sim drivers lack experience with G-forces, Verstappen thinks training and the proper coaching can bridge the gap. He says sim racing has improved his own driving, and vice versa.
“Everyone at all times thinks that it’s only a game and it’s fun, easy going,” Verstappen tells the outlet, “but I’d say the competition is just as hard, and even harder, to nail — to win — than in real life.”
