Toto Wolff: “My 7-year-old son prepares for kart races on the simulator, and it actually works”. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has the 'proof' of Verstappen's success at home.

Max Verstappen, the emblem of the virtual improving the real

The 2024 F1 season has highlighted the high level of preparation of drivers who debut on track after accumulating many virtual kilometers. Oliver Bearman, Franco Colapinto, and – as in 2023 – Liam Lawson all performed well.

Max Verstappen is the epitome of this generation of drivers who combine real-world experience with virtual. The Dutchman is perhaps even extreme in this regard, as he has participated in 24-hour events on iRacing, even during race weekends like the winning one in Imola. The same situation occurred during the less successful weekend in Hungary, which led Red Bull to ask Verstappen not to participate in virtual endurance events during race weekends.

Toto Wolff has the proof at home that virtual preparation works. His 7-year-old son prepares for kart races on the simulator, and the benefits are clear even in the real world: “My son is seven years old,” said Toto Wolff in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport. “He has a kart simulator at home. He races against other players online. In Italy, there are four important tracks. He had never driven on one of them. He tried it on the simulator, then we participated in a race there. He gets on track and is immediately the fastest. He says to me: ‘I know the track,’ and I replied, ‘Yes, but only on the simulator,’ and he answers, ‘I tell you, I know it.’ What can we deduce from this? Young people no longer distinguish between reality and the virtual world. The graphics are so good now, and young minds work differently. My son sometimes does 20 kart races of five minutes in a row. This kind of training should be recommended to all drivers. Older ones will probably find it a bit more difficult. And maybe it doesn’t work for everyone as it does for Max.”