🏎️💨Your Sim Rig is Better than F1's?

Yeah right... Do you really think an F1 team would use F1 25 as their official race simulator? Even though Max has done hot laps for the F1 game in the past, they most definitely don’t use them to train (Sorry EA). We’ll talk more about race simulators in our feature article below though.

NEWS FLASH

Motorsport Games just bagged a cool $2.5M investment: VR headset maker Pimax lead the charge with this cash injection. Pimax sees big potential in mashing up its high-end VR gear with Motorsport's realistic racing sims for experiences that'll make your head spin (in a good way). This funding boost is set to shore up Motorsport Games' finances and fuel development on new games and future updates. Both companies are pretty stoked and we’re betting that this partnership will seriously level up VR racing for “simthusiasts” everywhere.

The NASCAR Cup Series has completed the first nine races: Now heading into its only off-weekend before a grueling stretch of 28 races in 28 weeks. While William Byron currently leads the point standings, drivers like Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Kyle Larson have demonstrated strong winning potential with multiple victories each. Josh Berry has proven to be a valuable addition to Wood Brothers Racing, securing a win despite some unfortunate incidents. Conversely, Brad Keselowski has faced an unexpectedly difficult start to the season, currently sitting low in the standings. Finally, Kyle Busch is showing signs of improvement compared to last year, and Ty Gibbs has recently delivered promising performances.

The 50th anniversary Grand Prix of Long Beach took place: They celebrated a major success, setting a modern-era attendance record with over 200,000 fans attending across the three-day weekend. This impressive turnout marks the highest attendance since the IndyCar and Champ Car series reunification in 2008, with reserved seats selling out by Saturday for the third year running. Despite lower TV ratings, the event, featuring multiple races and historical tributes under new Penske Entertainment ownership, proved to be a massive draw for spectators on site.

SIM RACING SNIPPETS

• Meet Tero Kontkanen, the Simucube co-founder whose journey from Finnish PC overclocker and DIY CNC builder led to Granite Devices and the game-changing Simucube Direct Drive wheelbases after the sim racing community took notice. Now a major innovator with creations like the ActivePedal, Tero keeps pushing tech boundaries with a humble, people-first attitude, proving passion is a powerful driver.

• Logitech's trusty G29/G923 sim racing wheels are getting seriously old-school, but a potential successor might have just broken cover. Sharp eyes spotted a mysterious new Logitech-branded wheel base, looking unlike anything currently sold, in a recent Assetto Corsa EVO development video. This sneak peek could hint at a fresh entry-to-mid-level wheel and pedal combo, possibly boasting a quick-release system compatible with newer gear.

• The 2025 DTM eSports Championship kicked off back on March 21st, pitting 32 elite sim racers against each other at the virtual Circuit Zandvoort. Competitors face twelve races across six events, vying for a share of the €50,000 prize purse. Beyond the cash prize, the overall series champion earned a unique opportunity: a real-world test session behind the wheel of a GT4 race car. Sim Racing Nation member Lolo Vera is currently competing in this championship for the first time. He even qualified with a Logitech G29 wheel. Wow!

RELEASE RADAR

This week, Moza, Fanatec and Simagic all pushed some new gear releases, so we’re doing a overview with release radar. Next week we’ll go more in-depth on the new gear as user reviews come out.

Simagic: Released their brand new Alpha Evo wheelbase in 9nm/12nm and 18nm variants at jaw dropping affordable prices.

Moza: MOZA is juicing up your sim rig with next-gen hardware and software upgrades, pushing realism to the limit on top of their rock-solid servo motor foundation.

Fanatec: Fanatec's dropping the official Porsche Vision GT wheel, letting you grip the slick, futuristic design ripped straight out of Gran Turismo for just under $440USD.

*Moza and Fanatec contain affiliate links above. If you’re interested in their newer products, your purchase helps support us further.

MOTORSPORTS REPORT

• Formula E rolled into Homestead-Miami Speedway, a fresh US track that drivers found technically tricky but a blast to drive thanks to its gritty surface and efficiency-testing layout. Despite the thumbs-up for the fun drive, veterans like da Costa and di Grassi weren't shy about preferring the classic downtown street circuits Formula E is known for. While Homestead offered a good challenge, the call from drivers is clear: bring back the city center vibes, with Long Beach getting a specific shout-out.

• Robert Wickens who we covered last week, rolled into his IMSA GTD debut at Long Beach feeling both proud and bummed, driving with hand controls years after his massive IndyCar crash. A qualifying tangle left him starting P8, putting them behind the eight ball in a race where track position was king. Despite a solid run where teammate Tommy Milner clawed up to P5, a black flag for repairs stemming from earlier contact ended their charge, leaving Wickens feeling they had the speed but couldn't show it.

• Kimi Antonelli isn't just battling on track in his debut season; he's also wrestling with his final year of school exams, admitting it's "pretty difficult" to squeeze them in. While getting help remotely, the 18-year-old is determined to finish—partly because his Mum "really cares about it"—even though keeping up intensified massively this year. Hating Math ("you get to see just letters"), he jokes he might just ask teammate George Russell for help, though English and PE are his easy A's.

THE SPOTLIGHT

F1 Simulators: Indispensable Tools in the Pursuit of Performance

Ever wondered how F1 teams stay so sharp when track testing is rarer than politician keeping their promise? Enter the simulator: not anything close to your average racing rig, but a high-tech beast that’s become mission-critical in the cutthroat world of Formula 1.  

Why do simulators reign supreme? Blame the rules. With strict limits on real-world testing and budget caps continually tightening up, teams were still in pursuit of finding every tenth. Simulators became the answer, letting engineers and drivers push the limits without burning through cash or precious track time.

Think less video game, more aerospace-level tech. We're talking actual F1 chassis (or spot-on replicas) mounted on six-degrees-of-freedom (6-DOF) motion platforms that mimic some of the G-forces. Wrap-around screens or massive displays provide the visuals, while authentic steering wheels and hydraulic pedals give drivers the real feel.  

The secret sauce lies in the software and data. The hardware’s cool, but the software is the "virtual brain." Teams use powerful physics engines like rFactor Pro, but they heavily customize them with their own secret formulas for vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics, and—the holy grail—tire models. Getting those tire models right is notoriously tricky, as is perfectly replicating sustained G-forces.  

It’s all about correlation: making the virtual world match the real one. Teams constantly compare simulator data with track telemetry, endlessly tweaking the models. Spot on data is elusive, but close enough to give teams a massive advantage.  

Simulators: The Ultimate F1 Multi-Tool

These rigs aren't just for driver practice (though learning tracks and procedures is key). They're vital for:

• Car Development: Testing new parts virtually before they're even built.  

• Setup Optimization: Finding the perfect car balance way faster than endless track laps.  

• Strategy Planning: Running endless "what-if" race scenarios to nail strategy calls, even providing real-time support during a Grand Prix.  

The Upside & The Limits

The pros? Big cost and time savings, increased safety (crashing is just a reset button away), controlled environments, and mountains of data.  

The cons? Replicating those gut-wrenching G-forces and complex tire behaviors isn't perfect. Plus, the real world throws curveballs (weather, track evolution) that are hard to simulate, and for drivers, the psychological pressure just isn't the same.  

From Flight Sims to F1 Dominance

Simulation tech has roots in aviation and early motorsport experiments. But the digital boom of the 80s, bringing CAD and telemetry, paved the way. By the 90s, early F1 simulators emerged, and today, driven by regulations and powered by insane computing power, they're indispensable.

What are the key takeaways here? F1 simulators are where cutting-edge engineering meets sophisticated software, fundamentally changing how teams chase performance. While they can't replicate everything, their impact on development, strategy, and the relentless pursuit of speed is undeniable in modern F1.

AROUND THE WEB

During this month: Subaru unleashed the Impreza 555 to tackle the wild stages of Group A rallying, getting the official green light for competition back in 1993.

That’s neat: Asetek announces an Easter Sale - big savings can be found here.

Wow: How a single letter almost destroyed NASCAR. We’re talking about the “D” here. (no not that one)

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