Rudy van Buren is one of the simulator drivers at Red Bull Racing – World Champion Max Verstappen knows how important his compatriot’s work is to his success
Max Verstappen has made a perfect start to the 2024 season with two victories in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. But the Red Bull driver knows that he can only celebrate these successes with a strong team behind him. “The simulator and the people who work there are very important,” says Verstappen. An important part of this department is simulator driver Rudy van Buren.
“Of course I have a lot of contact with Rudy van Buren,” reveals the three-time Formula 1 world champion. The two Dutchmen know each other well and drive together for Team Redline in various sim racing events, including the digital Nürburgring endurance series.
Van Buren was introduced as Red Bull Racing’s official simulator and development driver in August 2022. Since then, the 31-year-old Dutchman has been supporting the team with the development of the car, but above all with ‘track support’, i.e. testing various set-ups and new parts during the race weekends.
“He tells me what he has tried out and then we talk about it,” says Verstappen, giving an insight into the work of the Dutch simulator driver. “He says: ‘Maybe we should do this or see if we can improve this aspect’. It’s nice to have someone so high up in the team to make sure the car is so well set up from the first test. “
Van Buren: Verstappen “pretty impressed “
In addition to van Buren, Formula E world champion Jakes Dennis and ex-F1 driver Sebastien Buemi are also part of the team of simulator drivers. “Rudy and a few other simulator drivers test everything, from the smallest adjustments to the craziest things. He tests everything,” says Verstappen, who prefers to sit in the simulator himself.
“When I go into the simulator, everything is actually already set up and they are really working on the fine-tuning,” says Verstappen, praising the work of the team and van Buren in particular. “He also drove a whole race distance the other day and tested all sorts of things with the front wing.”
“With something like this, you just sit in the simulator for an hour and a half and put everything through its paces. I find that pretty impressive,” admits the Red Bull driver.
Van Buren also has experience from his own racing career: From 2019 to 2022, the Dutchman competed for four years in the German Porsche Carrera Cup, and even two years in the Porsche Supercup as part of Formula 1.
