Have you ever seen something that makes you think that the person buying it clearly has too much money? It's the kind of purchase that makes no sense and is riddled with problems that only the very rich are exempt from. It's like buying a social media platform (opens in new tab) because not enough people like you, or buying an F1 Red Bull RB18 show car simulator for reasons you don't understand.

Formula 1 (opens in new tab) proudly shows off two new PC game racer simulator setups that no one should buy: a huge kit based on the RB18 model F1 car that won 17 out of 22 races in 2022, and a new simulator based on the RB18 RB18 that was used in the first two races of the season. The sim comes in two variants, a base model called the Race Edition and an upgraded one called the Champions Edition, which is fitted with a front wing.

The chassis is made using the same process that produces a real F1 car, but in effect you get a half-made racing car shell with your choice of Verstappen or Perez paintjob. Prices range from £74,999 to £99,999 (open in new tab), a low price that adds shipping and whatever it would cost to modify the house to make it worth it.

Of course, these sims aren't just racing car shells. Because that would be ridiculous. Unfortunately, the F1 details are pretty thin. The kit includes a curved AOC gaming screen and Z906 Ultimate THX surround sound. The listing also says "state-of-the-art gaming hardware," but unless this is literally full of RTX 4090 (opens in new tab)s, there's no way to justify the price.

During the pandemic, interest in racing sims increased and the industry went into hyperdrive indeed. Now players have no shortage of options to tickle your fancy when it comes to wheels (open in new tab) and joysticks (open in new tab), no matter what flavor of sim you're into. However, even the most avid racing sim enthusiast would never spend this much on a rig of their own. Nor would you need to modify it to bring it home.

I looked at some of the top racing rig setups (opens in new tab) used by pro racers and content creators, and the most expensive ones are closer to £30,000. In addition, most of these opt for 3-monitor setups, sometimes even incorporating moving parts, which look a bit better for realistic racing.

While I'd be happy to dunk this rig forever, the controls look pretty cool and I'd be tempted to do so. The wheels are some of the coolest I've seen, with big screens and plenty of controls. In theory, this combined with the great pedals makes for a solid racing simulator experience. Anything less would be a pretty big insult if you were to invest such a large sum of money, regardless of your choice of leveling. Furthermore, the idea is to create the most authentic F1 experience possible out of this unmoving, expensive hunk of metal.

"Driving an F1 car is something most people can only dream about, but this simulator is as close to the real thing as you can get. Memento Exclusive has recreated the car to bring the circuit into your home," said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

It is unclear whose house he is referring to here, because this would never fit in my house or anyone else's that I know of. Nor would anyone be foolish enough to buy this in the first place. Especially when you can get great racing gear for a fraction of the price. After all, these are the ones the real pros use (opens in new tab).