So there I was — Silverstone. The track that created so many moments for me as a spectator and a sim racer, but now I’m in my single-seater racer and ready to drive my first ever laps in real-life. The drizzle darkening the tarmac with a rather scary-looking slickness, the smell of fuel, and the coarse texture of the steering wheel fabric all fueling the adrenaline.
This is a huge contrast to my six years of confidence driving the best sim racers out there, as I immediately realized that a real formula car does not care about your virtual safety rating. But much like a lot of my friends who make the jump from the virtual to physical world, I went in with the world of confidence.