💰 Sim gear strikes your wallet.

So, you think your daily commute is rough? Try navigating a chicane at 200 mph while someone's drafting so close you can taste their exhaust fumes. We're here to bring you that kind of thrill (minus the actual danger and questionable flavors).

NEWS FLASH

Bahrain engine summit explores future engine regulations for F1: A significant meeting of Formula 1 stakeholders occurred during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend to specifically discuss potential changes to the engine formula, with the possibility of reintroducing more affordable engine types in the future. This involved exploring the viability and various options associated with such a dramatic engine regulation change for the sport's future. While the idea of V10 engines was exciting for many fans, the meeting was more about exploring possibilities of engine types rather than an imminent decision. This won’t lead to a rollback for the already planned 2026 engine regulations at this stage but something to be considered further out.

Robert Wickens, an Arrow McLaren IndyCar team member, suffered a severe spinal cord injury during his rookie IndyCar season in 2018. Despite these life-altering injuries sustained in a crash at Pocono Raceway, Wickens has shown incredible resilience and determination. After extensive rehabilitation, the Canadian racer is making a comeback to competitive racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. His inspiring journey is a testament to his unwavering passion for racing and his refusal to give up on his dreams.

The Super Formula car in iRacing was riddled with scheduling issues. Stuck sharing track selections with the much slower Super Formula Light car all season, it was like bringing a gun to a knife fight some weeks. The high-downforce beast was harder to adapt to on unsuitable, unpopular tracks. The result? A niche crowd was continuing to adapt week in and week out as overall participation slowly shrunk due to inconsistencies. Sim Racing Nation saw these issues and took the concerns straight to the iRacing forums with a vote, and guess what? iRacing listened. They've now split the series, giving the Super Formula its own schedule. Will it fix the series with the current precedent and limiting constraints still present? Only time will tell, but for now it's a win for community power.

SIM RACING SNIPPETS

• Engineered for peak performance, the Next Level Racing F-GT Pro is a highly adjustable sim racing cockpit that seamlessly shifts between Formula, GT, and Hybrid racing positions, making it ideal for both pros and newcomers. Its robust 50mm steel frame and slick metallic finish aren't just for show; they provide the strength needed for intense direct drive wheels and load cell pedals. It’s a versatile, high-performance weapon based off of community feedback to elevate your sim racing experience significantly.

• Ever wished you could actually drive your RC car instead of just watching from above? One tinkerer brought this childhood dream to life, rigging up a racing simulator to control an RC car via Arduino for a wild, first-person perspective. It involved some serious electronic and software gymnastics, but now they can pilot a toy car straight from their high-tech sim setup.

• Good news for Assetto Corsa fans: the upcoming AC Evo will not be online-only, as developers are focusing on making single-player modes work offline, similar to the classic AC experience. They also confirmed that modding tools will become available during the early access phase. Additionally, expect some adjustments to the car release schedule.

• Fanatec gear just hit your wallet harder in the US, with prices jumping significantly across the board thanks to a fresh website launch revealing the damage. Blame it on the ongoing US-China trade tiff, as tariffs on imported goods, where Fanatec manufactures its equipment, are sending costs soaring stateside while other regions remain untouched. With tariffs potentially skyrocketing even further, strap in for potentially more price volatility ahead.

MOTORSPORTS REPORT

• Alex Palou, the three-time IndyCar champion, won't necessarily be making the jump to Formula 1 in 2026, despite rumors linking him to Cadillac. According to his friend Dani Juncadella, Palou has not received an offer from the American manufacturer. It appears that Alex is content dominating the IndyCar scene in the United States for now. What other opportunities do you think might open up for Palou in the future?

• Retired IndyCar champion Tony Kanaan, while mentoring NASCAR driver Kyle Larson, realized the advantage of competing in various racing series. Observing Larson's adaptability across different types of cars made Kanaan wish he had pursued a more versatile racing career. Kanaan now believes that his earlier focus solely on IndyCar limited his growth as a driver. They say the only person who could beat Kyle Larson in any of those cars is... Max Verstappen.

• Speak of the devil himself… Max Verstappen is shifting his Verstappen.com racing project up a gear, entering the GT World Challenge Europe in 2025 to prove sim racers can make the leap to the real track. The team is backing sim star Chris Lulham alongside Thierry Vermeulen and Harry King in an Aston Martin GT3 EVO, run in partnership with 2 Seas Motorsport for the Endurance Cup. Max himself is hands-on, providing setup feedback and aiming to show that elite sim talent is a legit pathway to professional racing, with ambitions to compete right at the front.

THE SPOTLIGHT

Sim Racing Price Shock: Your Rig vs. the 2025 Tariff War!

What’s hitting your wallet harder than the hairpin turn at Casino Square in Monaco? The 2025 tariff tangle. Aggressive US trade actions have slapped sky-high taxes (up to a staggering 125%!) on goods imported from China. On top of that, crucial sim racing ingredients like semiconductors (processors, sensors) face a targeted 50% US tariff if sourced from China, while global US tariffs hit steel and aluminum (think cockpits, pedal parts) at 25%.

Why the red flag for sim racers? Our beloved hardware – whether from established giants like Fanatec (now Corsair-owned), Logitech, and Thrustmaster, or newer less established players just blowing up in the sim racing scene like Moza and Simagic – overwhelmingly relies on manufacturing facilities and components based in China. This heavy dependency makes the industry exceptionally vulnerable.

It's a compounding cost nightmare. Tariffs hit the essential electronic brains and the metals before they even get assembled. Then, the finished product (your wheel, pedals, shifter) gets hit again with the massive 125% rate upon entering the US. Expect these costs to roll downhill straight to the checkout price.

The impact varies globally:

• USA: Ground zero for the steepest price hikes (potentially 20-25%+). The direct 125% tariff + component duties + eliminated $800 duty-free limit = ouch.

• Canada: Faces 25% retaliatory tariffs on gear bought from the US, plus rising global component costs.

• Europe: Dealing with its own 25% retaliatory tariffs on some US goods, bracing for Chinese products potentially diverted from the US market, and could enact its own anti-dumping measures.

• Australia: Largely shielded from direct tariffs on Chinese goods by trade agreements, but still exposed to rising global component prices.

The bottom line? Expect sustained higher prices, especially in North America. Brands are under pressure to rethink their supply chains (a complex, expensive shift away from China), potentially favoring larger companies. For enthusiasts, this likely means budgeting more for that next upgrade or exploring different tiers of gear.

How might these price shifts change your sim racing upgrade plans?

AROUND THE WEB

During this month: William Grover-Williams drives a Bugatti Type 35B to victory on April 14th in the first Monaco Grand Prix (1929) 

That’s neat: McLaren Racing's new sustainability handbook guides F1 teams on building greener cars by cutting waste and resource use without sacrificing speed.

Wow: Strap in and witness the story behind racing’s most bizarre incident.

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