July 6, 2026
Yesterday afternoon at Silverstone, Charles Leclerc took his ninth career win — and his first British Grand Prix — as Max Verstappen spun into the gravel four laps from home and the race finished under a safety car. A week earlier, Sébastien Ogier conquered the real EKO Acropolis Rally in Greece for the first time since 2011 — and just one day after that, Assetto Corsa Rally shipped the same Greek roads as playable stages. In between sits the story sim racing fans are still talking about: on 28 May, an 18-year-old named Otis Lawrence survived a 30-minute stewards’ review in Abu Dhabi to become the youngest F1 Sim Racing World Champion in history — with one of his title-defining wins coming at, of all places, Silverstone. The best part? Professional sim racing in Phuket puts every one of those stories within your reach.
Formula 1, the World Rally Championship and sim racing are converging faster than ever — and if you’re on holiday in Phuket, or following any of these championships from anywhere in the world, that convergence is something you can drive, not just watch. Everything above maps onto the equipment we operate at SIMPRO Academy Phuket, inside Boat Lagoon Marina: Simucube 2 Pro direct-drive wheel bases at 25 Nm, Simtrecs load-cell pedals and triple 32-inch curved monitors. Here’s how this weekend’s F1, the WRC’s summer and the esports season connect — and how you can lap the same circuits and stages yourself, coached, without buying a single piece of hardware.
The 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship was the biggest edition yet of Formula 1’s official esports series. Nine of the sport’s real teams — Alpine, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Haas, McLaren, Mercedes, Racing Bulls, Red Bull and Williams — each fielded three-driver rosters across 12 rounds and four live events, racing on the official F1 25 game for a $750,000 prize fund, with $127,777 going to the champion team. The season opened in front of a live crowd at DreamHack Birmingham (27–29 March), a gaming festival at the NEC that organisers expected to draw around 50,000 fans, before moving to Formula 1’s own Media and Technology Centre for the remaining three events. Every round was broadcast live on F1’s official YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels.
The title fight came down to the final lap of the final race in Abu Dhabi. Alpine’s Otis Lawrence — who had won at Suzuka and Silverstone earlier in the season — crossed the line with a late one-second penalty hanging over him, triggering a stewards’ review that ran roughly 30 minutes before he was confirmed champion. At 18, he is the youngest F1 Sim Racing World Champion ever, finishing on 156 points to Ferrari driver Ismael Fahssi’s 154 after what Ferrari itself called a comeback for the ages — Fahssi’s late surge, built on his win at Barcelona, came two points short of sealing a historic double for the Scuderia’s esports arm. Behind them, three-time champion Jarno Opmeer pipped his own Red Bull team-mate Frederik Rasmussen to third, 114 points to 113, and Red Bull retained the Teams’ Championship.
And the crossover with the real championship keeps tightening — yesterday’s British Grand Prix was decided at the very circuit where Lawrence took one of his title-defining esports wins in May. Leclerc’s maiden Silverstone victory came under a safety car after Verstappen’s late spin, with George Russell recovering from a lap-35 puncture stop to finish second and Lewis Hamilton third despite a five-second jump-start penalty. Kimi Antonelli won Saturday’s Sprint and took Sunday pole, but scored nothing in the race, cutting his championship lead over Russell to 25 points. Real F1 drivers prepare for weekends like that on simulators; a teenager just proved you can race the same corners for a living without ever leaving one.
The software side of the hobby matched the racing drama step for step. Assetto Corsa Rally’s update 0.5, released 29 June, added two real Greek stages — Loutraki and Elatia, both drawn from the WRC’s Acropolis Rally — plus the title’s first online multiplayer, with customisable lobbies for up to 16 players, and a physics overhaul built around an upgraded tyre model. The timing was almost cinematic: Sébastien Ogier won the real Acropolis Rally on 28 June, his first win there since 2011, beating Thierry Neuville by 58.3 seconds — and one day later, sim rally fans could drive Greek gravel themselves. The real WRC title fight rolls on too: championship leader Elfyn Evans carries a slender seven-point lead over Takamoto Katsuta into Delfi Rally Estonia (16–19 July), the fastest gravel event of the year, where Toyota fields five Rally1 cars including Ogier. If you want to understand why Estonia’s flat-out crests keep drivers awake at night, a rally simulator is the safest place to find out.
Assetto Corsa Evo is proving that opening its SDK in update 0.7 (3 June) was a turning point. The first community-built mod — the Grand Prix 2026 SF-26, a car modelled on this year’s real F1 regulations — is already available, the opening entry in a planned 11-car grid covering the full 2026 field. Meanwhile Kunos has confirmed the laser-scanned Kyalami circuit in South Africa for update 0.8, expected mid-to-late July. Kyalami is a returning favourite: it already features in Assetto Corsa Competizione, which means you can lap it at SIMPRO today without waiting for the update.
iRacing’s 2026 Season 3, deployed 9 June with racing underway from 16 June, rounds out the picture: the BMW M2 Racing (G87) added free to every member’s base content, the EURO NASCAR RC01, a world-premiere track at Qualcomm Circuit on Naval Base Coronado, and a completely rebuilt Laguna Seca from new scan data. We covered the hardware side of this busy season — Fanatec’s Podium Pedals, Logitech’s RS50 and the Simucube 3 line — in last week’s sim racing hardware deep-dive, if you want the full picture of the gear these titles run on.
Here is the part most people don’t realise: the distance between watching the F1 Sim Racing World Championship and driving the same circuits yourself is about ten minutes from Phuket airport. Our simulators at SIMPRO Academy Phuket run iRacing, Assetto Corsa, Assetto Corsa Evo, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Automobilista 2, EA Sports WRC Rally and Assetto Corsa Rally — and this summer’s racing calendar maps almost perfectly onto our circuit library. Silverstone — where Leclerc won yesterday and Lawrence sealed his virtual victory in May? Available. Suzuka, Spa-Francorchamps, Zandvoort and Interlagos from the esports calendar? All there. Rally fans can attack Monte Carlo, Rally Finland and Rally Portugal stages on our rally platforms — the same disciplines Evans and Ogier will fight over in Estonia in two weeks.
The hardware matters just as much as the software. Every SIMPRO rig is built around a Simucube 2 Pro direct-drive base delivering 25 Nm of torque — professional-grade force feedback that tells your hands exactly what the front tyres are doing — with Simtrecs load-cell pedals that measure brake pressure the way a real racing car does, and triple 32-inch curved monitors wrapping your field of view. This is the calibre of equipment esports professionals train on for hundreds of hours a season. In my 23+ years as an airline pilot, managing training and checking on a Boeing Business Jet, I saw the same principle on certified full-motion simulators every day: when the equipment is faithful, the skills transfer. That’s as true for a first-timer learning to trail-brake as it is for a future champion.
🏁 Drive the Champions’ Circuits
Silverstone, Suzuka, Spa — the same circuits the 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship was decided on, driven on Simucube 2 Pro direct-drive rigs (25 Nm), Simtrecs load-cell pedals and triple 32-inch curved monitors, with 1-on-1 sim racing coaching included at SIMPRO Academy Phuket.
1,300 THB per 90-minute session (incl. 7% VAT and 3% booking fee) — Book at simproacademyphuket.com or call +66 62 962 2822
Four storylines stand out. First, Assetto Corsa Evo update 0.8 and its laser-scanned Kyalami, expected mid-to-late July — and whether the SDK-powered mod scene keeps its early momentum; if the full 11-car 2026 F1 grid materialises from the community, Evo inherits the crown that made the original Assetto Corsa immortal. Second, the F1 esports platform question: EA has announced that F1 25 receives a 2026-season expansion while an all-new F1 game arrives in 2027, so next year’s world championship will likely be fought on fresh software. Third, Assetto Corsa Rally’s multiplayer — early hands-on coverage from Traxion calls it a tentative but promising first step, and rally sims live or die by their online communities. Fourth, the talent pipeline: Lawrence won a world title at 18, and every real F1 team now runs an esports operation scouting drivers exactly his age.
That last point is the cultural shift worth sitting with. For a young driver in Southeast Asia, the traditional motorsport ladder — karting, junior formulae, Europe — costs millions of baht before anyone learns your name. The sim racing ladder starts with talent, coaching and consistent practice on professional equipment. It’s why we built SIMPRO Academy Phuket around coaching-first sim racing, borrowing the approach used in aviation training: measurable skills, session by session, on hardware that behaves like the real thing.
Reading about a record-breaking sim season is one thing — feeling it through a direct-drive wheel is another. If any of this made you want to try it, you can, a few minutes from central Phuket.
SIMPRO Academy runs coached sessions on iRacing at Boat Lagoon Marina: 90 minutes, Simucube 2 Pro rigs, load-cell pedals, triple curved screens, and a telemetry debrief so you leave knowing exactly how you drove. No experience needed — just come and drive.
SIMPRO Academy Phuket is the island’s dedicated sim racing academy, inside Boat Lagoon Marina (23 Boat Lagoon Marina, Soho Pool Club, Moo 2, Koh Kaeo). Every rig runs a Simucube 2 Pro direct-drive base (25 Nm), Simtrecs load-cell pedals and triple 32-inch curved monitors — the same class of equipment professional esports drivers train on.
1,300 THB per 90-minute coached session (includes 7% VAT and 3% booking fee). Every session includes 1-on-1 coaching, whether you’re a complete beginner on holiday or an experienced sim racer chasing lap time.
Yes — the 2026 esports calendar overlaps heavily with our circuit library. Silverstone (where Charles Leclerc won yesterday’s real British Grand Prix), Suzuka, Spa-Francorchamps, Zandvoort and Interlagos are all available across our platforms, including Assetto Corsa Competizione, Automobilista 2 and iRacing.
The 2026 world champion is 18 years old, and every F1 team’s esports programme scouts through online competition — mostly on iRacing and the official F1 game. The foundations are consistent, coached practice on quality equipment: braking technique, racing lines and repeatable lap times. That’s exactly what a coached sim racing session at SIMPRO Academy Phuket is built to develop.
Yes. Every SIMPRO session starts with a briefing and is coached, so beginners are welcome. You’ll drive the same equipment the enthusiasts use.
Simucube 2 Pro direct-drive wheelbases, Simtrecs load-cell pedals, and 32-inch curved triple monitors with a telemetry display — running on iRacing.
| Story | What happened | Key numbers | Drive it at SIMPRO |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 Sim Racing World Championship | Otis Lawrence (Alpine), 18, youngest-ever champion; Red Bull retains Teams’ title | 156 vs 154 pts; 12 rounds; $750,000 prize pool | Silverstone, Suzuka, Spa & more in our library |
| Assetto Corsa Rally 0.5 | Rally Greece stages (Loutraki, Elatia) + first online multiplayer (29 June) | 2 new stages; 16-player lobbies; new tyre model | Assetto Corsa Rally runs on our rigs |
| Assetto Corsa Evo | First community mod (Grand Prix 2026 SF-26); Kyalami confirmed for 0.8 | 11-car mod grid planned; 0.8 due mid-to-late July | Evo on our rigs; lap Kyalami today via ACC |
| iRacing 2026 Season 3 | Free BMW M2 Racing, EURO NASCAR RC01, world-premiere Qualcomm Circuit | Build 9 June; racing from 16 June; rebuilt Laguna Seca | iRacing runs at SIMPRO |
| Real-world crossover | Leclerc wins British GP at Silverstone (5 July); Ogier wins Acropolis Rally (28 June) | Antonelli’s F1 lead cut to 25 pts; Evans leads WRC by 7 pts; Rally Estonia 16–19 July | Lap Silverstone + WRC-style gravel stages at SIMPRO |
| SIMPRO Academy rigs | Pro-grade coached simulators at Boat Lagoon Marina, Phuket | Simucube 2 Pro 25 Nm, Simtrecs load-cell pedals, triple 32-inch curved monitors | 1,300 THB / 90-min coached session (includes 7% VAT & 3% booking fee) |
🏆 Book Your Session at SIMPRO Academy Phuket
Professional sim racing and flight simulation coaching in Phuket, on Simucube 2 Pro direct-drive rigs (25 Nm), Simtrecs load-cell pedals and triple 32-inch curved monitors — perfect for holiday visitors and future champions alike.
1,300 THB per 90-minute coached session (incl. 7% VAT and 3% booking fee)
📍 23 Boat Lagoon Marina, Soho Pool Club, Moo 2, Koh Kaeo, Ampur Mueang, Phuket 83000
📞 +66 62 962 2822 | ✉️ info@simproacademyphuket.com | 🌐 simproacademyphuket.com
Paul Chappell is Founder and Operator of SIMPRO Academy Phuket. With 23+ years as a professional airline pilot, including a Lead Captain position on a Boeing Business Jet where he managed flight training and checking responsibilities, Paul brings deep expertise in precision performance and simulator-based training. He is a Qualified Flight Instructor with thousands of hours on certified full-motion flight simulators. Beyond aviation, Paul is a lifelong motorsport enthusiast — 10+ years on high-performance motorbikes, multiple track days in an AMG 45S, a professional rally driver training course, and extensive go-kart racing. He founded SIMPRO Academy in 2024 to bring professional-grade sim racing and flight simulation training to Southeast Asia.
Sim racer driving Greek gravel rally stages in Assetto Corsa Rally on a Simucube 2 Pro rig with triple 32-inch curved monitors at SIMPRO Academy Phuket
Coach guiding a young driver through a qualifying-style lap of Silverstone at SIMPRO Academy Phuket, Boat Lagoon Marina
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