It's not actually true that four-time F1 champ Max Verstappen has a racing sim rig in his private plane. But he is a serious racing sim aficionado to the extent of having one in his motorhome at European F1 races and generating controversy over his late-night sim racing antics before actual F1 races. So, when Verstappen says racing sims are "90-95% there," you have to take notice.
What's more, the good news for those of us without the spare $10k to spend on a motion rig is that Verstappen doesn't think they're all that. Actually, they're too slow for him. Hold that thought.
Speaking on his sim racing team's YouTube channel (via Grandprix247), Verstappen discussed the differences between real racing and sims. “The biggest difference is of course, the G-forces. In a real car—everything, right, like accelerating, braking, cornering—that’s something you don’t feel," he says.
Intriguingly, however, Verstappen doesn't seem to think motion rigs are necessarily the solution. Indeed, for Verstappen, simming without a motion rig is "faster."
"All these motion rigs are slower," he says. Likewise while he does concede that motion rigs can give you a little bit of that G-force experience, he doesn't seem sold on their use, generally.
"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,” he explains.
Moreover, Verstappen reckons racing sims are highly accurate tools. “In terms of how you work on the setup, how you work out strategies, and as you see now in this race as well—it’s raining, you have to make the right call to be on the right tyres.
“It’s exactly the same as in real life. You’re working off a radar [to judge and predict rain] and your feeling as well while driving. For me, I would say it’s like 90-95% there, but that 5% is mainly just that real touch of strapping yourself in the car and then the G-forces,” Verstappen says.
We're not sure if Verstappen ever uses a motion rig. But his home setup in the video doesn't seem to have one and nor do most other images and videos captured of him during sim racing.
So, that's reassuring for anyone who loves sim racing and thinks a motion rig is a major aspiration. None other than Max Verstappen, current and likely future Formula One World Champion isn't bother about having a motion rig for his sim racing. So, you probably don't need one either.
