Max Verstappen is the 2022 Formula One world champion. That means practice, practice, and more practice, even as he flies at 30,000 feet between the many exotic destinations on the F1 calendar.

To that end, Verstappen has reportedly installed a racing simulator in his multimillion-dollar private jet.

"He has modified his private jet so that in the future he can even sim race in the air," Red Bull advisor and driver program boss Helmut Marko told Sport1.

"But that can only be a good thing, because Max needs that kind of distraction. Plus, it hasn't had any negative impact on his first two world titles."

"I'm not sure how much of an impact it has had on him.

Max Verstappen purchased a Dassault Falcon-900EX from Richard Branson in 2020 for $16 million, and some have called the jet supervillainous because of its black and orange livery (the Netherlands is orange).

But you heard right, folks. Don't let anyone tell you that your sim-racing habits are a waste of time; two-time world champion Verstappen sees great value in carrying a virtual racing system. In a previous interview with the Washington Post (open in new tab) ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans virtual, Verstappen spoke about how important sim racing is to him and "how professional I've become.

Verstappen later retired from that race due to a connection error, which he vocally regretted in the stream (opens in new tab) at the time.

Still, virtual racing is attracting some of the best talent in racing. Verstappen is not the only F1 driver participating in Sim Racing's tournaments and race streaming. Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, George Russell, Alex Albon, and other drivers competing in motorsports' top championships all play the game in their spare time.

Simulators also make up a large part of an F1 driver's training. From multi-million dollar simulators, like William's simulator, built in secret at the team's base, to home simulators that keep the drivers glued to the track ahead of race weekends.

Former Formula 1 driver and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has a lavish home simulator made from parts of an actual Aston Martin F1 car (opens in new tab). Wanted.

Now is the off-season on the F1 calendar. But it won't be long before the curtain rises again for the 2023 season. Pre-season testing will begin at the end of next month to get a rough idea of how the cars will perform next season, and the first race in Bahrain on March 3-5 will show the real power of the 2023 cars.