Max Verstappen expressed the opinion that he faces just as strong, if not stronger competition in virtual racing than he does in Formula 1.

And that comparison has been echoed by Formula 2 racer Max Esterson, who made the switch to real-life racing from a virtual background and also thinks that the sim racing competition is “just as high as F1”, with a deeper talent pool compared to real-world racing.

‘Max Verstappen one of the best on the sim at the moment’

Verstappen goes into the F1 2025 season chasing a remarkable fifth World Championship in a row, and ahead of the action getting underway, the Red Bull driver had explained how he believes his virtual racing rivals stack up against his F1 ones.

“Everyone always thinks that it’s just a game and it’s fun, easy going,” Verstappen said when speaking to The Athletic, “but I would say the competition is just as hard, or even harder, to nail — to win — than in real life.”

Verstappen is an avid virtual racer as a part of Team Redline, and wants to create a pathway for more virtual racers to transition into the real world, considering the rising costs of the junior racing ladder.

And one such driver to follow that route is 22-year-old American driver Max Esterson, who after becoming one of the world’s top sim racers, transitioned to the real-life race track and is currently preparing for his first full Formula 2 season in 2025 with Trident.

Esterson hopes to see Verstappen’s wish come to fruition, and agrees with the reigning F1 World Champion that the virtual racing scene is just as competitive as Formula 1.

“Yeah, I think it’s great,” Esterson told the media, including PlanetF1.com, when asked for his take on Verstappen wanting to create opportunities for more sim racers to make that transition.

“I mean, there’s so many good drivers now on the sim. The talent pool is much bigger than the real thing.

“And I think the level on iRacing for example is just as high as F1 in some ways.

“So it’s great that he’s able to do that. Obviously Max I think is one of the best on the sim at the moment.

“So yeah, it’s nice to see and hopefully it leads to something.”

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After a season-and-a-bit in Formula 3, Esterson got a taste of F2 with four races for Trident at the end of the 2024 campaign, and continues with the team into 2025.

He will partner Sami Meguetounif in an all-rookie line-up and Esterson has seen a step up in the level of team and facilities by joining Trident.

“It’s my first time kind of in my career driving for what I would call like a big team, I guess, with a lot of resources and a lot of engineers,” he said.

“That’s new for me, and it’s been good so far. It’s nice to have a team with so much experience. And yeah, it’s nice to have a good simulator and lots of history to look back on and data to look at.

“So for me that’s been super helpful.”

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