– Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar swapped their Formula 1 cockpits for a sim-racing seat to take on a real NASCAR challenge together with Red Bull athlete Connor Zilisch. The task was simple: to race the virtual NASCAR car around the Miami International Autodrome and find out who could burn the fastest lap time into the virtual asphalt.
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Zilisch, who regularly pilots the number 88 – a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse – in the NASCAR Cup Series, was the first to take the virtual wheel. The 19-year-old is considered a prodigy in the stock car championship. “That must be absolutely terrible in this car in the chicane,” commented Verstappen while watching the onboard footage.
The lack of grip and cold tires ultimately proved to be the downfall for the American as he spun 360 degrees. After the spin, Zilisch aborted his first attempt but still managed to set a reference time of 2:01.87 minutes in the end.
Hadjar with wall contact
Next up was Hadjar, who quickly realized that taming a NASCAR stock car is anything but a walk in the park. “This is a strange seating position,” he noted as he took his place in the cockpit.
The 21-year-old touched the wall several times. “It’s so damn difficult. This is going to be fun,” Hadjar called out to Verstappen, who was next in line.
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When Verstappen finally approached the sim rig, the Dutchman chose a somewhat unconventional approach: he drove in socks. “I just can’t drive with shoes on, I have to take them off,” explained the four-time Formula 1 world champion before starting his flying lap.
Verstappen wins narrowly
In the end, Verstappen beat Zilisch’s best time and secured the victory with a time of 2:01.11 minutes. Zilisch followed with his 2:01.87 minutes in second place, while Hadjar did not manage to set a valid lap time at all.
Hadjar admitted that it was “a lot” harder than expected and asked Zilisch how realistic the simulation was. The NASCAR pro’s answer: “Honestly, we have even less grip in real life.”
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It was hardly surprising that Verstappen adapted extremely quickly to the new virtual tool despite some wall contacts.
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