Jarno Opmeer, one of the world’s top simracers, has twice claimed the world title in the official virtual Formula 1 championship. Now racing for Red Bull, he explains why drivers like Max Verstappen need to engage in simracing. “If they want to compete at his level, they really don’t have much choice.”
Max Verstappen is well-known for his frequent use of the sim. Does Opmeer believe this is something other F1 drivers should delve into more? “Definitely, I think they even have to,” he responds emphatically. “Max is somewhat of a pioneer in the F1 in terms of simracing. If they want to keep up with his level, they really don’t have much choice. Otherwise, you simply won’t be good enough.”
The younger generation has caught on to this and can often be found on the virtual asphalt. “I occasionally participate in iRacing (a popular racing game), and there you also see the guys who are at the top of Formula 2 like Oliver Bearman, Gabriel Bortoletto, and Kimi Antonelli. The drivers who perform less well in F2, I rarely encounter in the virtual world. Look, it won’t be solely because of this, but you do see that certain drivers are willing to do more and sacrifice more.”
Another significant advantage of the extra miles on the sim, according to Opmeer, is that drivers are exposed to many more situations, enabling them to react more quickly in the real world. “Plus, your technical knowledge simply becomes much greater. You learn to understand all setup options, what they do, how they feel. That’s just very good to learn. You might not need it for Formula 4, but you do in the subsequent classes.”
