I was really impressed at NASCAR's ability to go virtual in response to the early covid precautions and provide what looked to me (not much of a racing fan) like a compelling substitute for their normal in person competitions.

I think too for max it's the purest type of _competition_. In real racing, there are all kinds of factors that make the cars different and each lap different. All these changes for the driver ultimately boil down to how do I get the most grip from the tires and how do I know how my grip will change.

In the real world the number of factors and variance between cars makes it kind of a personal thing I think. This might explain why Schumacher and Clark both didn't understand why everyone else couldn't go as fast as them.

In Simracing, a lot of things are simulated, but not enough to struggle to wrap your head around eventually. All the parts on all the cars are the exact same and environmental/tire changes are more simple too. It's also much more accessible than driving an open wheel race car competitively.

I think this means driving at the top of sim racing is VERY competitive in terms of errors and % gains. Team money is removed as a 'mark' against your talent too.

I mean maybe, but he also just legitimately does it for his own enjoyment and training regardless of the big races he participates in.

Sure, but it would be minuscule compared to what Red Bull pays him.