Toro Rosso rookie Max Verstappen says he has been using gaming in order to perfect his overtaking skills, which allowed him to pull off a series of eye-catching manoeuvres over the last couple of grands prix.
The 17-year-old joined top simracing squad Redline in late July and immediately set about training for Spa-Francorchamps and Monza.
Starting from the back of the grid at both venues, Verstappen drove two fine recovery races, which included a pair of ballsy passes around the outside of Sauber’s Felipe Nasr. The first move came at the ultra-fast Blanchimont left-hander in Belgium, while the second one took place at the first chicane of the Italian track.
“[Simracing] is always good because you know how much space you have,” said Verstappen.
“Also, sometimes you go a bit too far and you know that you can't do it. I think it helps me. I mean I did it for Spa and I did it again for Monza and two times it worked on the real track.
“The overtake I did on Nasr, I did exactly the same in the sim again.”
Should you need any evidence, here is a video of the Dutch teenager perfecting his craft in the virtual world.
Click here for F1i's driver ratings from the Italian Grand Prix
2016 F1 driver line-ups so far
F1 drivers' girlfriends gallery
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Michael Schumacher’s 1992 Benetton B192, the very car that delivered his maiden Formula 1 victory,…
Gabriel Bortoleto is not buying into the widespread idea that lining up alongside Max Verstappen…
Today, we wish a happy 68th birthday to Eddie Cheever who remains after all these…
History was made at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday as the Audi Revolut F1…
The flags at Mercedes-Benz have been lowered to half-mast as the racing community mourns the…
McLaren have officially completed Formula 1’s 2026 launch calendar, confirming they will unveil their new…