Max Verstappen and the change of his simulator for…
The Dutchman warned in China that he has no fun with new-age cars, but that he will not leave F1. Of course, virtuality put it aside.
Over the years, the simulator became a crucial element in the development of drivers, especially since private testing is prohibited. These days, virtuality has a gigantic realism and the runners add kilometers of tests on different tracks. But… That all changed this year. The new era of Formula 1, with its power units that generate power in equal parts through combustion and electricity, changed the map. The correlation of the simulator with the reality of the track is very far from the usual experience that the protagonists experienced until last year.
During the press conference prior to the start of the Chinese GP, second date, Gabriel Bortoleto, Alex Albon and Max Verstappen were consulted about the use of the simulator in this new era. “There are still many things to improve in the simulator, at least for us as a team,” said the Brazilian. from Audi. Williams’ Thai was very clear: “We spend a lot of time in the simulator during the winter and, at least to me, it seems like you can spend as much time as you want, but when you get to the track it’s completely different. I think that’s partly due to correlation, and I think some of the teams that make their own engines have more data and better methods for creating, for example, the turbo model or the battery model of the car. So there is still a lot to learn. At least for now, it seems that much of the learning is being done on the track, not in the simulator.” And then it was Max’s turn…
“I found a cheaper solution. I changed the simulator for my Nintendo Switch and yes, I’m practicing a little with Mario Kart. Finding the mushrooms is going quite well. The blue shell is a little more difficult, but I’m working on it,” shot the Dutchman unleashing widespread laughter.
Verstappen was the first and harshest critic of the new regulations. The way they drive changed for the pilots. From karting, the racer learns to enter the curves as late as possible to shave thousandths off and be faster. All that went to waste with the new power units, with which racers must take their foot off the accelerator before finishing the straights to recharge the batteries. And overtakes occur artificially, when two cars are on the track in different energy phases.
The four-time champion questioned his continuity in the World Cup, basically because he doesn’t have fun. Therefore, to gain excitement, this year he will race the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with a Mercedes. Asked if he is still thinking about leaving F1, he said: “The truth is that I don’t want to leave. As I said, I would like to have a little more fun, for sure, but I am also doing other things that are very fun. I mean, I can race on the Nordschleife. I hope that in the next few years I can race in Spa, and hopefully in Le Mans. So I am combining my activities to find others that I also find very fun. Sure, my team is on the go, so I have a lot of distractions at once. Positive distractions, I would say. But at the same time, it’s a bit conflicting because I don’t really enjoy driving the car, but I do enjoy working with all the people in the team and also in the engine department. So no, I don’t want to leave, but I also hope, of course, that it gets better. “I already spoke to the FOM and the FIA and I think we are working on something that will hopefully improve everything.”
