Max Verstappen Reveals Startling Similarities Between Real Racing And Sim Racing

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, known for his passion for sim racing, often competes with his Team Redline squad when he's not behind the wheel of his F1 car. While some may view sim racing as just a game, Verstappen has highlighted its startling resemblance to real-world racing, noting that the virtual experience mirrors reality by as much as 95 percent.

Explaining his points, Verstappen hinted that sim racing is a serious activity that demands excellent focus and reflexes, something which could be seen as a valuable tool for honing racing skills and reflexes.

However, his deep involvement in sim racing, particularly during late-night sessions, has drawn criticism. Many speculated that his frustrated and irritated attitude during the Hungarian Grand Prix was a result of sleep deprivation caused by his late-night virtual racing activities.

With a decade of experience in the premier class of motorsport and four world championship titles to his name, Verstappen's deep-rooted knowledge, and experience of the virtual racing world make him the best person to reveal how similar virtual racing is to the real deal.

In an interview on Team Redline's YouTube channel, Verstappen answered fan questions, delving into his sim racing setup and pointing out the key differences and similarities between real-world racing and sim racing. Explaining his views from his sim racing cockpit, the 27-year-old Red Bull driver said:

"I think the biggest difference is of course the G-forces, so in a real car, I mean everything right like accelerating breaking, cornering that's something that you don't feel.

"I'm driving at home on a static rig because it's faster. All these kinds of motion rigs are slower but of course, 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.

"Besides that, I think what is quite similar is in terms of how you work on the setup, how you work out strategies, and as you see now in this race as well, you know it's raining you have to make the right call to be on the right tires, it's exactly the same as in real life you're working off a radar initially, your feeling as well while driving.

"I would say it's like 90-95% there but that 5% is mainly just that real touch, you strap yourself in the car and the G-forces."