Piastri takes a leaf out of Verstappen's book as he chases the world championship

11:04, 08 Jun

byOlly Darcy

Max Verstappen makes no secret of his love for sim racing, with the Dutchman participating in both competitive and recreational races away from the track in his spare time. It is said that this extra experience makes Verstappen even better. Now, it seems like Oscar Piastri is getting himself involved in that world too.

The Australian has also taken up sim racing himself. On his Instagram, a video can be seen where the 24-year-old is engaged in a virtual race.

However, although Piastri is leading the championship on the track in person, his sim racing skills may need some improvement. In the video, Piastri actually crashes into the side of another car. "Who's in the lobby?" says the joking caption.

Is this Piastri's new strategy towards the world title?

Various insiders have said that because virtual racing is now so close to reality, you can learn a lot from online driving, with that valuable knowledge then being used again in real life.

Some people even suggest that Verstappen owes his exceptional form partly to his many hours behind the sim. Testing time in Formula 1 is limited, so any extra hours are helpful. As a result, Piastri might want to try this tactic with sim racing.

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The Australian has been leading the championship since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix earlier in the season, with five race wins so far keeping him at the top of the standings.

However, his lead over his teammate, Lando Norris, is just ten points, with the title battle between the two of them set to be one that continues right the way to the season finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Thanks to Piastri and Norris, McLaren are dominating the other championship, holding a 197-point lead in the constructors' championship over the rest of the grid, with Mercedes the closest to the papaya-coloured team in second place.