Being a Formula 1 driver is not just a weekend job, with constant training and practice being needed to keep the drivers at the top of their game.
Alongside work in the gym to prepare for the G-forces that they will experience in the car, simulator work is an equally important part of a driver’s routine.
These simulators used by teams are state-of-the-art, able to almost perfectly recreate the feeling of driving on the selected racetrack without ever having to step foot in a race car.
Some drivers have their own personal simulators at home to practice and play racing games, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen often found taking part in online sim races.
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Red Bull’s chief advisor Helmut Marko has now made a comical error when speaking about Verstappen’s use of the simulator, mistakenly claiming that the Dutchman was installing a rig in his private jet, a mistake which has now been corrected by De Telegraaf.
“Helmut Marko recently said that Max Verstappen had a simulator built in his plane,” reported Erik van Haren.
“Marko just misunderstood that, says the two-time world champion just now. Simulator is being built in his motorhome, not his private jet.”
While it is impressive that Verstappen manages to dedicate so much of his free time to practicing on the simulator, it would be slightly odd for him to install an extra one on his private jet.
The 25-year-old’s passion for online sim races ended in tears recently, as the virtual 24-hours of Le Mans race went disastrously for Verstappen and his Team Redline teammates.
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The Dutchman disconnected from the race while in the lead as the servers were targeted by a number of cyber attacks, resulting the Verstappen publicly slating the event.
Daniel Ricciardo’s role as Red Bull’s third driver this season will involve him taking part in a lot of simulator work, something which Verstappen is not particularly happy about.
The 25-year-old has explained that he prefers to do his simulator work himself, as he believes that every driver has their own style, making it difficult to delegate this work to another driver.