Max Verstappen lives and breathes racing, whether it’s on the track or off it. When he’s not fighting for wins in F1, Verstappen is comfortably sitting in his home sim-racing setup, competing in some of the most prestigious virtual racing events in the world. And it has paid off.
Verstappen has often spoken about sim-racing being more than just a hobby to him. The Dutchman, who takes part in the events to stay sharp enough to succeed in F1, has insisted that the only difference between real life and the virtual world is the lack of physicality in sim racing. If he had to choose a number, sim-racing would be 90% similar.
“You really do miss the G-force. And in real racing, a lot relies on what you feel through the wheel. I must say, though, that simulators are getting quite accurate — I would say it’s now 90 percent accurate to a real racecar,” he said to the Washington Post in 2023.
Recently, when he drove an endurance car quite comfortably, his hypothesis was proved correct.
The Acura ARX-06, designed by Honda, competes in the IMSA Sports Car Championship, a series that is drastically different from F1. But Verstappen seemingly had no trouble in getting up to speed in it thanks to him driving the car on the sim.
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“.
Meet the electrified ARX-06. The latest in a line of successful Acura endurance racing prototypes, hitting the tracks next year. pic.twitter.com/wJpajWLqNp
— Acura (@Acura) August 17, 2022
Verstappen has repeatedly stated that he won’t stay in F1 for too long, but that doesn’t mean he’ll retire from racing entirely. Once his contract expires, he’ll look to explore other disciplines, including endurance racing. Given how smoothly he handled the Acura, adapting to it shouldn’t be a challenge for him.
