{"id":637167,"date":"2026-04-29T21:36:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T21:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/637167\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T21:36:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T21:36:14","slug":"sim-racing-is-officially-mainstream-thanks-to-formula-one-and-these-simulator-builders-are-reaping-the-rewards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/637167\/","title":{"rendered":"Sim racing is officially mainstream thanks to Formula One and these simulator builders are reaping the rewards"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sim<\/p>\n

For several years, sim racing has been seen as \u2018uncool\u2019 or a \u2018sweaty gamer\u2019 pastime, but thanks in part to Formula One<\/a> drivers, Cool Performance Simulators have helped make it mainstream.<\/p>\n

Cool Performance Simulators work with some of the best drivers in the world, including 2025 Formula One World Champion Lando Norris and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson.<\/p>\n

At Supercar Blondie, we were lucky enough to chat with Joel Somerville, the CMO of the company, about how it started and the success the company has had.<\/p>\n

The simulators it offers are some of the coolest in the world, and best of all, you can buy one to use in your own home.<\/p>\n

How Cool Performance Simulators started<\/p>\n

While you might think sim racing<\/a> is quite new, it actually started much longer ago than you\u2019d expect.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been in the business for around about 15 years or so now, quite a long time now,\u201d Somerville told Supercar Blondie.<\/p>\n

When the business started, it was a far cry from what the company offers today.<\/p>\n

\"Sim<\/a>Assetto Corsa<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was much more on the one-to-one driver training side of things, working with drivers in a lot of different racing categories, from I guess when they start single seaters,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

That includes series such as Formula 3 and Formula 4, as well as endurance and GT racing.<\/p>\n

Back then, it was more than just a game, as drivers found track time in real life was often hard to come by.<\/p>\n

As Somerville said, driving a simulator helped drivers to train and get up to speed a little bit quicker.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d work one-to-one with the drivers to help them find a little bit more time here or there,\u201d said Somerville.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were finding the simulator was actually giving them that head start.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sim<\/a>EA<\/p>\n

As time has gone on, and sim racing has become more widespread, this has enabled the business to expand to personal use.<\/p>\n

Now, the company offers all sorts of simulators<\/a> that anyone can purchase and have installed in their home.<\/p>\n

These range from F1 racing simulators to GT racing rigs and even a professional karting sim.<\/p>\n

The platforms used by the racing simulators<\/p>\n

Sim racing in 2026 has never been so good, with a wide array of simulators available for players and drivers to use.<\/p>\n

Some of those, as Somerville told us, stand out more than others.<\/p>\n

\"Sim<\/a>Cool Performance Simulators<\/p>\n

We asked what software most of the drivers and customers use when they\u2019ve bought a Cool Performance sim.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor professionals, iRacing is pretty much up there, in terms of social racing and circuits, it\u2019s a huge platform,\u201d he said,<\/p>\n

\u201cBack when we started, we were using software called rFactor, where we could apply custom settings; it was open source,\u201d added Somerville.<\/p>\n

Now, 15 years after starting the business, drivers can have a Windows PC linked to the rig and use any simulator they like.<\/p>\n

Formula One drivers like Max Verstappen<\/a> and Lando Norris will mostly use iRacing.<\/p>\n

But others may use simulators such as Assetto Corsa, Le Mans Ultimate, rFactor 2, and more.<\/p>\n

Working with real Formula 1 drivers<\/p>\n

One of the big success stories for the company has been the work they\u2019ve done with Formula 1 drivers.<\/p>\n

The company was actually founded by Oliver Norris, the brother of 2025 F1 champion Lando Norris<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lando himself is one of several Formula One drivers the company works with.<\/p>\n

\"Sim<\/a>McLaren<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve worked with drivers like Lando, George Russell<\/a>, Alex Albon, and Carlos Sainz,\u201d said Somerville.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are in F1 now, but we were working with them in the early stages of their career before they became household names,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Impressively, the company is also working with eight Formula 3 drivers and 20 in Formula 4.<\/p>\n

\"Sim<\/a>Formula 3<\/p>\n

While they aren\u2019t household names just yet, that could change in a few years.<\/p>\n

Plus, while we can\u2019t reveal anything, the company is set to announce that two more current F1 drivers have joined its roster.<\/p>\n

How sim racing has beaten the \u2018sweaty gamer\u2019 image<\/p>\n

For a while, the sim racing industry had a \u2018sweaty gamer\u2019 image, but that has changed massively in recent years.<\/p>\n

Much of that was down to how the COVID-19 lockdown made esports racing series mainstream.<\/p>\n

Events such as the Virtual Le Mans 24 Hours<\/a> also helped with that.<\/p>\n

\"Sim<\/a>Le Mans Ultimate<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a business perspective, lockdown was very friendly to the industry,\u201d said Somerville.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur order books were stocked up for a number of months, so it was good for us and the industry,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

That also helped move sim racing away from that gamer-esque image and towards something fun, but also more serious.<\/p>\n

With Formula One drivers such as Verstappen and Norris<\/a> being heavily involved in sim racing, things are now very different.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Verstappen now has his own sim racing team, after rebranding Team Redline to Verstappen Sim Racing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Simulators such as those from Cool Performance have helped move that image forward over the years.<\/p>\n

Making sim racing look cool<\/p>\n

The simulators can also be bought by individuals, and even customized to suit their personal tastes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople want something that looks amazing,\u201d said Somerville.<\/p>\n

\"Sim<\/a>Cool Performance Simulators<\/p>\n

\u201cWe build them ourselves, we fully customize them like coachbuilt cars, we can even put carbon fiber elements onto it, custom seating, stitching, you name it, we do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company makes most of the components in-house, too, ranging from the Formula One-style steering wheels<\/a> and pedals to the rig structure.<\/p>\n

So not only does driving it feel good, but a huge effort is made to make them look good as well.<\/p>\n

\"Sim<\/a>Cool Performance Simulators<\/p>\n

Things show no sign of slowing down either, with business booming and more drivers being added to the roster.<\/p>\n

Cool Performance Simulators is at the forefront of racing simulators in the UK, USA, and around the world.<\/p>\n

It is truly remarkable to see how far the business has come in just a few years.<\/p>\n

Popular racing simulator titles<\/p>\n

iRacing: The premier competitive multiplayer racing simulator featuring a strict safety rating system and an extensive subscription model<\/p>\n

Assetto Corsa Competizione: The official GT World Challenge simulator offering unparalleled GT3 and GT4 physics alongside dynamic weather effects<\/p>\n

Automobilista 2: A highly versatile simulator built on the Madness engine. Features a massive variety of Brazilian and global motorsport disciplines<\/p>\n

Le Mans Ultimate: The official game of the FIA World Endurance Championship, providing authentic multi-class racing with current hypercars<\/p>\n

EA Sports WRC: A comprehensive and demanding rally simulator featuring massive point-to-point stages and challenging loose-surface physics<\/p>\n

Assetto Corsa: Legendary sandbox simulator kept incredibly relevant by a massive modding community that offers nearly endless cars and tracks<\/p>\n

rFactor 2: A hardcore simulator widely praised by real-world drivers for having some of the most advanced tire physics and force feedback in the industry<\/p>\n

Gran Turismo 7: Highly polished PlayStation exclusive, blurring the line between sim and arcade with realistic driving physics and extensive car collection mechanics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For several years, sim racing has been seen as \u2018uncool\u2019 or a \u2018sweaty gamer\u2019 pastime, but thanks in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":637168,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[49,48,578,576,577,82],"class_list":["post-637167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=637167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637167\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/637168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=637167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=637167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=637167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}