The Mercedes W12 E Performance 2021 will be brought to iRacing “in the near future”, along with next year’s car in 2022. Photo: Miguel Medina / AFP (Getty Images)
Sim racing is huge right now and that’s Formula 1. Of course, one might think that F1 cars would be ripe for inclusion in games like iRacing and Assetto Corsa, but F1’s strict licensing terms and teams’ general reluctance to share secrets stand in the way. This is why iRacing’s announcement on Wednesday of a close partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team came as a surprise to the sim racing world.
The simulator service will add Mercedes’ current chassis for 2021, the W12 E Performance, in the “near future,” according to iRacing manager Steve Myers, according to the company Press release. The two parties have apparently worked hard together to recreate the car in the PC Sim, which is otherwise only playable in the less realistic game official F1 2021 game. Mercedes strategy pioneer James Vowles can confirm this:
“We have been working closely with iRacing since the beginning of 2021 to bring the W12 to life in the virtual environment of iRacing,” said James Vowles, Motorsport Strategy Director, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. “The intention was to create as accurate a representation of the W12 as possible from a performance and driving perspective. Throughout the process we have had a unique and close relationship with the developers, which has resulted in a model that we hope everyone will enjoy driving as much as our drivers. “
I know a lot of this comes across as PR gossip, but it’s really unexpected for a team in the Mercedes position that has had all the success and is embroiled in a ruthless title fight with Red Bull that the iRacing crew take a look at to leave behind the curtain of his existing machine. It’s not the kind of hospitality the F1 paddock is known for.
IRacing previously had the 2015 McLaren Honda MP4-30, but that was back when McLaren was a punchline, and the car was a year out of date when it was immortalized in the game. The only comparable case is when Assetto Corsa landed Ferrari’s 2017 title contender, the SF70H, in the final weeks of this season.
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What’s even cooler about this news is that the findings from Mercedes’ contributions are already influencing the physics model for other open-wheelers in iRacing, such as IndyCars:
The work to bring the vehicles of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team to iRacing has been a long process. As part of the development work, the team ran extensive testing within iRacing and provided feedback and data to improve iRacing’s entire open-wheel physics model. Many of these adjustments to the physics model have already been rolled out to the iRacing user base.
One could argue that it isn’t a huge risk for Mercedes to deal with iRacing or any other game, as aero regulations will change dramatically from 2022 and next year’s cars will look and feel very different due to the addition of ground effects will be moving from today’s. That would be a fair point if iRacing didn’t get the green light to bring in next year’s Merc as well:
In addition to the W12, iRacing will work on bringing the team’s challenger from 2022 into the simulation in the coming year. The 2022 vehicle will be developed according to revised championship regulations. The new technical regulations include the reintroduction of ground effects for the first time since the 1980s, simplified engines, certain standardized components and larger 18-inch wheels.
That’s just the icing on the cake. Given how big both F1 and sim racing have become, it took a hyper-serious sim like iRacing a get like Mercedes to provide a more accurate representation of a modern day F1 car to the players who have longed for it. The F1 official titles are great at what they strive for: an accessible experience for fans that captures the spirit of the sport. But total authenticity while driving has never been your bag, and real F1 drivers will tell you that.
Over the past year and changes, we’ve seen this genre fall victim to consolidation, through exclusive deals with series organizers and Co.. It is worth noting that the word “exclusive” never appears in the iRacing press release, which is always welcomed.
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