Sim-Racer drives legendary Formula 1 car outside of a computer screen
Written by Matthew Haldane
Formula 1’s Esports Championship
With the third round of the F1 Esports series happening from the 25th to the 27th of March, fans are anticipating an exciting finish to the season. However, one driver who has caught the attention of fans is Red Bull’s Sebastian Job, who got to experience driving an F1 car outside of a computer screen.
Since its birth in 1989, the sim racing industry has grown exponentially. This virtual sport saw massive growth in 2017 when its first-ever F1 esports event occurred in Abu Dhabi and London. Fast-forward to today, and many motorsport fans and aspiring drivers are taking up sim racing as a job and as a method to get into the real-world racing scene.
After ten years of racing cars virtually, Red Bull Sim-racer Sebastian Job had the opportunity to drive retired Formula 1 driver, Sebastian Vettels's legendary RB8 car around the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
Sim racing is a virtual sport often incorporating real-life elements, such as fuel consumption and tyre wear, to mimic its real-world counterparts. Some well-known sim racing games include Gran Turismo, Assetto Corsa, and iRacing.
In Formula 1, it is now mandatory for teams to have a dedicated division for sim racing, as the F1 Esports series continues to grow in popularity. Sebastian Job drives for the Oracle Red Bull Racing esports team, having previously driven for two-time world champion Fernando Alonso’s team.
During this outing, Job got within a second of former F1 driver Patrick Friesacher, who also drove Vettel’s RB8, and even showed more competitive times driving a Porsche GT3 car.
After winning three virtual world championships, Sebastian Job aims to race in the Porsche Carrera Cup Championship.
YouTuber and member of Quadrant: Aarav Amin
This story of virtual to real life has opened the eyes of other sim racers and motorsport content creators alike. Speaking to F1 YouTuber and member of Lando Norris’s Quadrant team, Aarav Amin (Aarava), he said: “It is exciting knowing how well sim racing can translate [to the real world], So I’m sure for F1 Esports drivers, or better still, young kids/teens that have real speed in sim racing, they surely will have real chances to transition to real-world motorsport categories in the future.”
It’s not just content creators who see the potential for sim racers to gain real-world experience. In a previous interview, Oracle Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner also mentions how sim racing can become a more accessible method for young drivers to get into motorsport.
"I think sim racing could eventually create a broader pool of talent for the younger drivers because it's way more accessible. Motor racing is expensive whereas sim racing is a much cheaper version" said the Red Bull team principal.
“the most talented people, we probably don't even know who they are because they can't afford to race".
With the average cost of karting being £3000 to £4000 (Kart Pulse, 2018), sim racing may be an alternative method for many in the near future. The cost of a sim racing rig is considerably cheaper, ranging from £150 to £1000.
Speaking to Aarav again, he believes that “Karting will always still be the main way most enter motorsport just because it’s such a raw test bed to learn the craft, but for sure, I could see the percentage make-up change over time. [...] Sim racing entry points are only getting cheaper. Your entry-range wheels and pedals are much better price points now than, let's say when I got into sim racing 12+ years ago now.”
The future of sim racing and karting is looking to be an exciting change for entry-level motorsport. As the F1 E-sports series continues to grow and exposure for sim racers grows, more opportunities for real-life experiences will increase. With success stories in the past from Jann Mardenborough (Gran Turismo racer turned Nissan Racing Driver), and now Sebastian Job doing laps in an F1 car, the pathway for new talents to get into motorsport is expanding.