Watch: Max Verstappen overtakes 42 cars in 60 minutes to secure a P7 finish after starting at the back of the grid at Spa-Francorchamps

A clip of Max Verstappen overtaking 42 cars in under an hour at the 2022 BMW SIM GT Cup has surfaced online. The Dutchman proved his virtual racing prowess in the premier sim racing championship with his incredible overtaking skills at the digital Spa-Francorchamps.

Watch the clip below:

Max Verstappen currently leads the 2022 F1 drivers' standings, with a 46-points gap to his teammate Sergio Perez, who sits comfortably in second place. The Dutchman has been flawless in 2022, delivering results race after race.

It would seem that the 24-year-old's immaculate racing form extends to the virtual world as the driver managed to overtake 42 cars in under an hour during his stint in round 6 of the 2022 BMW SIM GT Cup series - averaging 1 overtake every 90 seconds. The reigning world champion started dead last in P50 but managed to bring his Redline Sim racing car all the way up to P8 before handing it over to 2021 IndyCar champion Alex Palou. The Spaniard, however, only managed to finish in P7 despite Verstappen's best efforts.

---

Max Verstappen claims sim racing has real life benefits

Aside from being an off-season hobby for the Dutchman, Max Verstappen claims sim racing has helped him set up his real-life race cars. In an interview with personal sponsor CarNext, the reigning world champion spoke about his hobby when he wasn't battling with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, saying:

“It keeps me ready to go, because I’m spending a lot of time also then on the setup. I’m not racing a Formula 1 car on the simulator, but it’s like GT cars, so it’s also a different technique of driving. I just keep testing myself, and especially these sim drivers... they’re so quick!”

The Red Bull driver is in awe of the skills top sim racers possess, claiming that he can learn a lot from the drivers in the virtual world. He continued, saying:

“It’s very interesting to see them drive because they have no real experience of a car but, somehow, when you look at how they’re braking, how they’re controlling, it is how it should be. It’s very interesting for me to then compare myself to them because they’re naturally quick on the sim, I’m naturally quick in real life. For me, that’s another motivation, because I know that I’m confident that when I want to jump in a real car, I’ll be quick.”

With the 2022 F1 British GP rapidly approaching, Max Verstappen is hopeful of taking his first win on English soil, establishing himself as one of the greats of the sport and extending his lead over his rivals.