After upstaging some of IndyCar’s biggest names, Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin now has Formula One star Max Verstappen in his sights.
McLaughlin’s impressive streak in virtual racing will be put to the test after Red Bull F1 gun Verstappen was granted a wildcard entry for Wednesday night’s Supercars Eseries second round.
Two-time defending Supercars champion McLaughlin has emerged as the man to beat after dominating the Eseries first round last week, winning two of the three races.
He has also turned heads on the IndyCar iRacing Challenge circuit.
Outshining a full field of IndyCar stars, McLaughlin backed up from last week’s second round iRacing victory with a second placing in race three at a virtual Michigan International Speedway last weekend.
Now McLaughlin faces arguably his biggest test after the wildcard entry of Verstappen, a simulated racing regular.
The Dutchman will be racing on tracks that he knows well in the Eseries second round – the F1 circuits at Silverstone in the UK and Barcelona.
In fact, Verstappen became the youngest F1 race winner at the Barcelona circuit when he took line honours in 2016 at the age of 18.
Verstappen’s virtual Holden Supercar will have a similar look to his 2020 Aston Martin Red Bull Racing F1 car.
“It’s going to be a challenge as it’s not a car I’ve driven a lot on the sim, but they are pretty cool to watch in real life,” Verstappen said.
“I’ve tried the Supercar now a few times on iRacing and it’s a very tricky car to get right.”
Red Bull Holden Racing Team star Shane van Gisbergen said he raced regularly against Verstappen online and looked forward to locking horns again with the 22-year-old.
“He’s fast and he knows these tracks well, so I expect to see him at the front,” van Gisbergen said.
Round two of the Eseries will feature two races each at Silverstone and Barcelona from 7pm AEST on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, David Reynolds’ Enduro Cup co-driver Will Brown will fill in for the former Bathurst 1000 champion this week.
Reynolds – who struggled to finish 21st, 15th and 19th in the Eseries opening round’s three races – said he would return to the virtual racing circuit next week when Supercars drivers race at Mount Panorama.
