F1 drivers VS sim racers

I'm thinking a while if the real F1 drivers are as fast as the fastest simracing drivers. If I look their hotlaps, I think its impossible that real F1 drivers are driving as fast as they do And the race performance.... If you make 1 little fault in a simracing race, you can forget you're gonna win... If F1 pilots drive over the limit once, they will lose time, not the race...

What should the fastest drivers do if they drove a real race with the F1 drivers? Maybe we will ever know. If anyone knows Fernando Rees (simracer at the moment, very fast ), well, he's going to drive F3 in Europe:-D And I think he has a big chance to go to F1 later

What do you think about this?

interesting argument

One thing that has been said in F1 Racing is that drivers who play computer games are likely to make more mistakes cause they are judging corners visually, whilst real drivers are able to judge them by feeling.
Or something

Any way, all i can say is that when i go karting, its a helluva lot different from GP3 2000

Its a totally different beast jumping from gp4 to a real single seater. firstly, you can hurt yourself so you have to build to the limit, in gp4 it doesnt matter if you go flying out of the pits and mis-judge turn one.

secondly, sensations. you get none from sim racing. you only have visual and audio cues giving you information (force feedback doesnt count in my opinion - especially not in gp4!!!!) while in real cars you do most of your driving through your arse!(feeling of what the car is doing underneath you)

Also, the physical side of things. You maybe get a little tired when doin the sim racing but you get exhausted doing real racing unless your really fit. unlike me (15 laps in a RotaxMAX 125cc kart and im screwed!!!)

Its all down to practice though. eg: my mate is driving British F3 this year but is shite at gp4 and F1C, but rapid in the F3 car.

So, an interesting point but i feel that there are CLEAR boundaries between racing sim and racing cars.

I defy any of you guys to hop in a mclaren and whip Kimi! lol

Iceman

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If you make 1 little fault in a simracing race, you can forget you're gonna win... If F1 pilots drive over the limit once, they will lose time, not the race...

this arguements totally backwards IMO
You make a mistake in a sim race and there arent any real consequences, you may lose some time or be out of a race that doesnt really mean anything.
You make a mistake in real life and if you're lucky you'll lose some time which in such a competetive environment is very difficult to make up, if you're not lucky however you're off the track and in physical danger, and if you escape without injury you're still going to cause damage costing hundreds of thousands of pounds (in F1 and other high up catagories that is) because of this and because its so high profile the pressure on F1 drivers is immense when theres pretty much zero pressure on a sim racer except pressure you put on yourself.
In terms of talent its obvious that real drivers in competetive catagories are going to be very talented otherwise they wouldn't have got there (even Alex Yoong is very talented, just not MEGA talented like most of the F1 drivers) wheras anyone can get into simracing.
The main differences between sim racing and real racing is the fear factor and the physical G-forces you experience and feedback from the road (of course simulators are not completely accurate so there are other differences there) so they are very different but basic skills such as understanding weight transfer, the friction circle, racing line etc.. are common to both and I think would be transferable.
I heard on a forum somewhere that Mark Webber played GPL and on his 3rd flying lap did a 1m30 at Monza, any time under 1m30 is pretty good but when first playing the game most people will take many attempts to even complete a lap and even then it would probably be in the 1m40s at best. This shows to me that they are similar and the skills transferrable (at least in GPL's case, certain other 'sims' i'm not sure about) so I would be very interested to see how Greger Huttu would do if put in real race car, I suspect he would do pretty well as in simracing he is supremely talanted (every game he tries he sets unbelievable times after little practice)



Post Edited (02-18-04 15:56)

there isnt much of a comparison at all really. i hope no one takes this the wrong way, but if you put most sim racers in a real car, there is no guarantee that they will do well.

that may sound harsh, but its a fact. also, real racers wont necessarily be good at sims. for the few that are, that is good for them.

another difference between real and sim: real is so much more fun because of the sensation you get of racing wheel to wheel, knowing you're on the edge.

im currently trying to climb the motorsport ladder, but right now im still in karting. but offer me a day of gp4 or any other sim, (on a good pc for once) or a day in my kart and i know what i would choose every time.

any whoever said that thing about alex yoong is absolutely right.

perry mccarthy went to a small local track where i raced when i was younger, and shattered the lap record. no one could get near him.

it just shows that today whilst money can actually get you all the way to f1, to get to the very top you still need the ability. (and prefarrably something better than an andrea moda :p )

good luck to that guy doing f3 this year



TAX DODGER

bit of a silly topic this but none-the-less interesting


being a very fast driver on a sim is a different world to driving in real life.

and there is one main difference and that IS:

DANGER


on a sim you can jump into your car and drive as fast as possible and if you crash you just restart

in REAL life you VERY MUCH feel the speed and danger element, and therefore it is much harder to drive to the limit immediaetely.

i have only sprinted metro turbos, but when you get on the track, with people watching, and you are reaching speeds of 90 -100mph you really do feel different to when you drive out the pits on GP4 for instance.

tbh i dont actually think about the danger - and i doubt ANY racing driver does when he gets on the circuit. but you definately do not approach driving a REAL car like you do driving a sim.

oh and also the fitness level involved in driving a proper single seater

no sim driver could jump into an F1 car and be as fast as they were ont he game for obvious reasons

hmm, yes , some diffrences are endeed big, but others are not, as the best line...

If I had to choose between GP4 and karting, I should choose karting of course

and Mark Webber at Monza? I think he played the game once before

yeah, but if you don´t have provious karting experience you won´t be able to drive 10 laps straight without feeling very tired, and won´t be able to drive fast as well!!!!

and yes, I know Fernando Rees, very cool guy.... were do you know him from???? He has a GP4 Team called IDT, and I´m on it.... hehe....




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I know him from LFRS : GP4 and GP3-2000

And now he drives at www.gpchampionship.com

And about that karting... I never karted before 1 year ago, and I was able to drive 1h at least. And the first 2h endurance race I drove, I bacame 3th.
of the 11 teams

3th as driver , I forgot to say that

Since then, I didnt drive a race :-S

well your obviously a very fit individual indeed Laurent.

Im fail to keep my self in shape so just a sprint race in a Rotax takes it out of me. ( i sometimes have to prize my hands from the wheel, im holding on so tight!!)

Its all goooood!

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no no no.... I´m not talking about endurance karts, with 5,5hp 4 strokes engines..... I´m talking about REAL karting, what the guys that intend to get to Formula 1 do.... 100cc or 125cc 2strokes, 40hp karting.... that´s the real thing I´m talking about....

ask any single sitter driver, and he will say that his carrer started on that kind of karting.... not endurance stuff!!!!




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I went karting a few times last year, and after about 10 minutes the first time I went, my arms were totally knackered, and felt like they were gonna fall off. I can play GP4 for an hour and no tiredness.

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that´s what I was talking about.... hehe.... I felt the same way when I first karted back when I was 11!!!! hehe....




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yeah fabio knows what he is on about - those top karts are VERY fast and corner VERY fast

i have done 3 1/2 hours straight driving in my own prokart with just pit stops for fuel

and it certainly gives you a work out.

but i found it ok. you need strong arms and neck like montoya hehe and i am built like that.

Fabio - check my website - the racing section ok mate

"yeah, but if you don´t have provious karting experience you won´t be able to drive 10 laps straight without feeling very tired, and won´t be able to drive fast as well!!!!"

Thats not true.. :P I drove kart first time in last summer at Mika Salo Circuit. I drived almost 30 minutes and only feeled little tiredness.. My times were also pretty fast compared to others who were in track same time..




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I really dont know what you mean... :s If I kart, I feel nothing, 100cc karts, light chassis, slicks :-D, But I think its not the kart that you mean... I believe that its harder to drive a kart that goes 100mp/h

I just have to try that, but I dont know where to go

Are the karts at Magny-Cours good? with gears....
Maybe I'll try that

my prokart went 70mph

and weighed quite a bit - heavier than the faster 2 stroke karts

was tiring to drive, but all part of the fun hehe

yeah,

i drive a RotaxMax kart. Its a 125cc 2-stroke kart. Havent driven for a while because i blew the engine in testing last september and am now at uni so have neither the time or funds to continue.

I have been promised an engine re-build as part of my christmas present but it has yet to happen.

When you get it wound up with new tyres, it is absolutley brutal. Gives your arms an absolute pounding! Its the most fun ive had with my clothes on!

-Laurent:

Whats this about gearbox karts at magny-cours? are you meaning on the kart track or on the GP track?

I have driven on the kart track there and i have to say, hand on heart, it is probably the best fun circuit i have driven on!!! even in the crappy 4-strokes it was amazing fun. A little dangerous in places though (a downhill, 'nearly' flat-out corner that tightens on exit has about 2 metres of grass run off and only a post and rail fence to stop you!!!!)

But that is France for you, its much better in my opinion, not as much 'red-tape'! (went on in shorts and T-shirt with a bog standard helmet on)

Iceman

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