Villeneuve puts advantage of Verstappen in perspective: 'You're not suddenly good at that'

Max Verstappen can mostly be found on the (virtual) track outside Formula 1 weekends too. The Dutchman spends a lot of hours in his racing simulator, which some say gives him an advantage on the track. According to Jacques Villeneuve, this is not all that bad, although he acknowledges that sim racing can help in some areas.

Villeneuve puts Verstappen's advantage into perspective

Villeneuve believes the simulator can be a useful tool, but does not believe it will make Verstappen a better driver. "It helps the focus, because when you're in a real car, it's easy to be focused. It's happening physically. You don't have a choice," the former F1 driver said in conversation with Sports Illustrated.

"When you're in front of a computer, it's so easy to just wonder somewhere else and think about something else. So on that aspect, yes. The driving, no. There's a slight difference and you really have to separate the two. Just because you're good on the sim [you can’t] suddenly [go], okay, you'll drive in a Formula One car," he added. Moreover, Villeneuve sees a potential pitfall: "You'll get some bad habits and the two are not a 100% close," noted the 1997 world champion.

Verstappen is very active in the simulator when he does not have to be in action on the real circuit. The three-time world champion is part of Team Redline, for which he regularly races. Every now and then, the Dutchman can be followed via a livestream.