Rudy van Buren, one of the fastest sim racers in the world, has become Max Verstappen’s teammate. Van Buren has officially taken on a new role as Red Bull’s Simulator Test and Development Driver.
The young Dutch racer had already been unofficially working with Red Bull, but this announcement means a defined role has been put in place for him with the team.
Rudy van Buren has joined RB as simulator test and development driver.
He already has a relationship with Max Verstappen as they have raced alongside each other as part of Team Redline esports team.
van Buren has also previously worked with McLaren in a similar role in 2018
Rudy van Buren has joined RB as simulator test and development driver.He already has a relationship with Max Verstappen as they have raced alongside each other as part of Team Redline esports team.van Buren has also previously worked with McLaren in a similar role in 2018 https://t.co/wWclQjN16k
Talking to RacingNews365.com, van Buren revealed that he has been a part of Max Verstappen’s team for some time now. He went on to describe his responsibilities and the ways he can help the team win:
“It has been a bit longer that I have been working there [Red Bull], only part of the contract was that it was not allowed to come out. This year a new contract has come in, but my duties are car development and track support during race weekends. So after the season, that’s testing new parts and philosophies. During the season, that’s during race weekends, after free practice, trying different set-up changes to provide an extra tray of options for the track.”
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Rudy van Buren, set to become Red Bull’s Simulator Test and Development driver from the 2023 season#F1
Speaking about Red Bull and its simulator apparatus, Rudy stated:
“At Red Bull, it goes a step further. You can almost superimpose the data from real life and virtual in the sim. It’s always still a bit of fine-tuning with the grip levels, which always depends on the temperature and wind direction on the real circuit. But I’m sure that if I overlay the data on a printout, you can’t tell what is real and what is the sim.”
Check out Rudy’s sim setup office tour below:
What are Rudy’s duties as Max Verstappen’s teammate?
For van Buren, the simulation apparatus upgrade also means a more physically demanding job, as the G-force will be that much more difficult to handle. The driver briefly described how the challenges can be tough if you are not fully prepared for them:
“I think my neck would be off after three laps then! In terms of procedures…provided I fit in the car, it would work. Just the G-forces and the experience of speed…that’s the killer. I don “T think you should say out loud that every sim driver is a good real driver. It’s been tried plenty over the years, guys going from virtual to real. Some do it with charm, but there are also a few where it seems that the fear effect – or whatever it is – turns out to be the killer.”
Max Verstappen’s rise to prominence has seen quite a few Dutch faces enter the F1 realm. Nyck de Vries, a friend of Max Verstappen, joined AlphaTauri this season.
It will be very interesting to watch how Red Bull adapts to the changing circumstances to stay on top.
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