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.
Miltner, who has been active in Formula One for more than two decades, is backed by recent statements from the sport’s superstars like Max Verstappen or Lando Norris. Four-time F1 world champion Verstappen is widely known for his passion for sim racing and often competes with his Team Redline squad.
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.
“The biggest difference is you have no G-forces, so unlike in a real car, you don’t feel accelerating, breaking or cornering, as you usually drive on a static rig. But I think it is quite similar in terms of how you work on the setup, how you work out strategies. 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.”
2024 world championship runner-up Norris is taking the same line saying: “I think it can make you very good in quite a few areas such as racecraft, accuracy, knowledge for set-ups and how to make a car better. It can bring a lot of positives. But the only thing is people don’t do well with G-force and fear. There’s a lot of things you can learn and do very well in the simulator and racing which they can correlate very well when they actually get a chance to go in a car.”
The latest example of a successful from-sim-to-real racing career is Argentinean Franco Colapinto, who started sim-racing at just 9 years old. His ability to quickly adapt to simulators marked the beginning of his journey to Williams Racing as a sub and now Alpine F1 as their third driver.
Apart from Verstappen and Norris, the Likes of Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Pérez, Antonio Giovinazzi, Romain Grosjean and Pierre Gasly are all sim racing regulars and have already won numerous trophies in the virtual sport.
Simon Schranz joined the Formelaustria Young Driver Programme in late 2023 coming from a sim racing background. Since his first outing in a real Tatuus Formula 4 car less than two years ago, the Austrian youngster has raised his bar so much that he is now competing in the Formula Winter Series in Portugal and Spain.
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