Max Verstappen, the 3-time world champion, can swear by the effectiveness of practicing on simulators. On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton, the 7-time champion, is against them. When it came to Monaco’s qualifiers, the simulator fan finished P6, between George Russell and Lewis Hamilton who came in P5 and P7, respectively. However, his teammate, Sergio Perez, was knocked out in the first round of qualifiers at P18. Now the question arises, how is the team getting such results from leading the driver’s championship?

The problem seems to be one that even Toto Wolff has been addressing, and it has nothing to do with the car or the track. Even the drivers cannot be blamed. Then what is it that’s going wrong? To explain this, Helmut Marko broke down Max Verstappen’s biggest problems during not only the Monaco Grand Prix but also at Imola. Let’s take a look at what the Red Bull director has to say about the issues of the Ground-Effect era cars.

Max Verstappen’s favorite tool becomes the reason for his problems

The direct answer to what Mercedes and Red Bull are having difficulty with are the simulators. Max Verstappen relies on data and feedback from the simulator to be able to gauge his driving style at the circuits. However, Helmut Marko came forth to explain the real issue with the simulator.

“The fundamental problem is not the circuits. It’s that the correlation between the simulator and the track doesn’t work. On the simulator we drive over the kerb stones without any problems,” explained Helmut Marko. He then quoted Max Verstappen’s radio message and further explained, “And then to use a phrase of Max’s, the car bounces like a kangaroo, and that’s the problem. That’s already shown in the set-up for Miami and partly in Imola.

It’s understood that F1 teams have the most advanced simulator systems that have hyper-realistic tracks for drivers to practice on. But one thing that is not noted is that the tracks can sometimes be out of date with the changes around the circuit. Another crucial factor that plays a role here is the actual bouncing of the car and with that the driver. While this is emulated well in the simulations, the feeling of being in an F1 car and hitting the apex and curbs at 200+ mph is another story.

With that, Marko explained the problem that Toto Wolff has been racking his brains on. Although Red Bull’s issues with the simulators are more track-based, Mercedes is having problems simulating their own car. But it’s not all bad news for Max Verstappen and simulators.

Kelly Piquet engages Project Verstappen

Right now, you must be wondering, what is Project Verstappen? It’s internet lingo that originated inspired by Max Verstappen’s story. Since a young age, Max’s father Jos Verstappen has trained him to be a good driver. With years of intensive training and passion for the sport, Max Verstappen became the youngest Grand Prix driver and race winner. Ever since then, the term Project Verstappen has been used when a video or image of a young child being extremely good at motorsports appears online, giving a tribute to the Red Bull champion.

But now, you must be wondering, what does Kelly Piquet have to do with this? Well, Miss Piquet is currently dating Max Verstappen and is often found around the paddocks. For the Monaco Grand Prix, she brought along her daughter Penelope while they spent time with the 26-year-old champion. Monaco being a race that is in Europe, prompted Verstappen to bring his simulator along with him and Penelope wanted to give it a try.

Kelly Piquet uploaded a video of Penelope driving a Red Bull F1 car in Monaco on the simulator to her Instagram profile. In the video, the 4-year-old drove through the tunnel and crossed the Nouvelle Chicane and the pool section with a Red Bull member controlling the pedals. Penelope was confident with the steering and despite bumping into walls from time to time, she managed to drive the car impressively for a 4-year-old.

This prompted many comments on the post terming it “Project Verstappen” and the clip has made the day for many fans. Many want to see Penelope taking the wheel being the daughter and granddaughter of former F1 drivers, Daniil Kvyat and Nelson Piquet, respectively.

That being said, do you think simulators are good for practicing F1 driving, or should it be done solely on the track? And if it is good to learn to drive, do you think Penelope will be an F1 star one day? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.