"Max Verstappen told me he can't compete with gamers"

The younger drivers on the Formula 1 grid have grown up with race simulators and esports. It's a massive part of the sport and something which really helps the drivers develop their skills and learn new circuits when they are away from the track.  

There are esport racers who are incredibly fast and some even think would be faster than Formula 1 drivers in the virtual world. With the outbreak of Coronavirus some said in jest that the season could be held virtually but in practice this would not work. 

"You can organize an e-sport event, but I think the older generation of F1 drivers, who don't know how to drive such a thing, would not do so well," Motorsports journalist Joe Saward told the Missed Apex Podcast.

“I spoke to Verstappen about this last summer, because he is involved in e-sports. I believe that he and Lando Norris won the 24 hours of Spa, virtually of course. He then said: 'I can't get close to the regular gamers. I can't compete with them. They are better than me because they spend time on it every day. I don't have time for that.

"So you can organize a world championship for gamers, but that's not the same as a world championship for Formula 1 drivers."

Esports and sim racing are incredibly valuable to the sport and drivers who can use it as a way to improve their skills and ability out on track.