Max Verstappen races a custom, static sim rig built around a direct drive wheelbase, load cell or active pedals and three screens, and he does most of his serious racing on iRacing with his own team, Verstappen Sim Racing (Team Redline until March 2026). The exact parts list has never been published by him or the team. So below I split it into what is confirmed by a partner or a named interview, and what has only been reported.
Checked on 15 October 2026 against Verstappen Racing's rebrand announcement (23 March 2026), Simucube's Verstappen Sim Racing partner page, Ascher Racing's partnership posts (1 February 2025 and 23 March 2026), Autosport (10 August 2021 and 24 May 2024), Motorsport.com (1 October 2026), Car and Driver (early 2026), Viaplay quotes reported on 22 May 2024 and TopGear Nederland (24 March 2020 and 1 August 2020). Fan sites and forum posts are left out.
Max Verstappen's sim rig at a glance
| Part | What is on record | Source and date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team hardware partner | Simucube wheelbases and ActivePedal | Simucube partner page, current in October 2026 | Confirmed for the team |
| Team wheel partner | Ascher Racing Pro and Ultimate wheels, Ascher dashes | Ascher Racing, 1 Feb 2025 and 23 Mar 2026 | Confirmed for the team |
| Pedals (2021) | Heusinkveld, brake set very stiff | Autosport, 10 Aug 2021 | Confirmed then, may have changed |
| Pedals (2026) | Simucube ActivePedal | Motorsport.com, 1 Oct 2026 | Reported, not attributed |
| Wheelbase | Leo Bodnar SimSteering2 | TopGear NL, Aug 2020. Motorsport.com, Oct 2026 | Reported |
| Wheel | Precision Sim Engineering LM-Pro, then LM-X | TopGear NL, Aug 2020 | Reported from his own photos |
| Seat / cockpit | Custom Playseat at home in Monaco | TopGear NL, 24 Mar 2020 | Reported |
| Seat (2026) | Custom Recaro Podium | Motorsport.com, 1 Oct 2026 | Reported, not attributed |
| Screens | Three screens. Motorsport.com says 32-inch Samsung Odyssey G7 | TopGear NL 2020, Motorsport.com 2026 | Count consistent, model reported |
| Motion | None. Static rig | Team Redline YouTube, via Motorsport.com, Oct 2026 | His own words |
| Travel rig | Same sim as at home, in his motorhome | Viaplay, reported 22 May 2024 | His own words |
"Reported" means a named outlet printed it but neither Max nor the team has confirmed the exact model in a source I could find. Treat those rows as the best public picture, not a shopping list.
The team behind it: Team Redline to Verstappen Sim Racing
You cannot talk about Max's rig without his team. He joined Team Redline in 2015, while he was a Toro Rosso rookie (ESPN, 31 July 2015). Redline's director Atze Kerkhof had met him the year before, when Max was racing Formula 3 (Autosport, 24 May 2024).
On 23 March 2026, Verstappen Racing announced that Team Redline would rebrand as Verstappen Sim Racing. Same people, same programme, new name. Max's line in the announcement was that sim racing is "a big passion of mine outside Formula 1".
Why does this matter for hardware? Because the team's partners are the only place where brand names are official. Max himself does not run a personal hardware sponsorship I could find.
Wheelbase: Simucube for the team, Leo Bodnar reported for Max
Simucube lists Verstappen Sim Racing as an official partner and says all team members have used Simucube hardware since the partnership started. Its partner page does not give a start date, and it does not say which product Max uses personally.
The deal was public by December 2022. On 16 December 2022 Traxion reported a Team Redline edition of the Simucube 2 Pro direct drive base, at €1,498.80 including VAT.
For Max's own home rig, the brand that keeps coming up is Leo Bodnar and its SimSteering2. TopGear Nederland named it on 1 August 2020, working from photos Max posted himself. Motorsport.com repeated it on 1 October 2026 as the "SimSteering2 Ultimate". Neither piece quotes Max or the team on it.
If you want to compare direct drive bases at more normal prices, I keep a list in direct drive wheel bases.
Wheels: PSE in the photos, Ascher on the team
In 2020 TopGear Nederland showed Max using a Precision Sim Engineering LM-Pro with a screen on top, and then a newer LM-X spotted at his home in April 2020. Motorsport.com still lists the LM-X in October 2026.
The team side changed in 2025. On 1 February 2025 Ascher Racing announced it had become a main sponsor and official equipment supplier of Team Redline, supplying wheels and dashboards, with Max named as the team's brand ambassador. On 23 March 2026 Ascher confirmed it continues with Verstappen Sim Racing. Its team page lists the Ascher Racing Pro and Ultimate wheels (300 mm) and the Ascher dash.
So: Ascher is confirmed for the team. Which rim Max has on his own base today is not confirmed anywhere I could find.
Pedals and brake force
This is the part I find most interesting, and it is the best sourced.
In August 2021, a few days after his 51G crash at Silverstone, Max drove the iRacing Spa 24 Hours for Redline as a check before Hungary. Kerkhof told Autosport (10 August 2021) that Max's sim has Heusinkveld pedals, which can be set to 130 kg, that Max runs his brake really stiff, close to the force of his F1 car, and that he pushed around 100 kg through it for two hours with no back pain.
In 2026 Max told Car and Driver, at Red Bull's 2026 car launch in Detroit, that the two things to get right in a home sim are the brake pedal and the wheelbase. He described his rig as custom, some parts bought, some personalised, and upgraded almost every year.
Motorsport.com (1 October 2026) lists Simucube ActivePedal for his current rig. That fits the team partnership, but the article does not say where it got it. So: Heusinkveld confirmed in 2021, ActivePedal likely now, not confirmed by Max.
Why a real driver wants the brake that stiff is simple. In a single-seater you brake with the leg, not the foot, and the pedal barely moves. You judge the stop by pressure. A soft sim brake that travels a long way teaches you the wrong thing. A load cell or active pedal set close to the real force keeps the muscle memory honest. That is general racing knowledge, not something Max told me.
If you want that feel at home, start with the best sim racing pedals, and read what the Simucube ActivePedal is and my Heusinkveld Ultimate review for the two brands linked to his rigs.
Seat and cockpit
On 24 March 2020 TopGear Nederland wrote that Max has a custom-made Playseat at home in Monaco, and that his feedback went into Playseat's Formula Intelligence (FI) model. In August 2020 the same magazine called it an FI Ultimate Edition.
Motorsport.com (1 October 2026) instead lists a custom Recaro Podium seat for his current rig, and a Sim-Lab P1-X cockpit for the motorhome. Again, no source is given for the brands.
The motorhome rig itself is confirmed. In May 2024 Max told Viaplay it is "the same as the simulator I have at home", and Kerkhof said he was up to speed "within two laps" (reported 22 May 2024).
Why a formula-style seat? Because in an F3 or F2 car you sit low and reclined, feet up near hip height, arms fairly bent. If you train for that car, you want the sim to put your body in the same shape. Kerkhof said exactly that to Autosport in 2021: Max's sim position is fairly similar to his real car. For GT3 work you would sit more upright. A rig like his has to cover both, which is why a custom cockpit makes sense for him.
For off-the-shelf frames, see my best sim rigs list.
Screens, VR and motion
Three screens. TopGear Nederland counted three TVs in 2020. Motorsport.com says three 32-inch curved Samsung Odyssey G7 monitors in 2026. The model is reported, the triple layout is consistent across every source.
No VR in any source I found.
No motion. On Team Redline's YouTube channel, as quoted by Motorsport.com, Max said he drives a static rig because it is faster. I agree with the logic. Motion adds immersion but it also adds lag and movement between you and the wheel. For pure lap time, a solid static rig with good force feedback and a stiff brake is enough.
If you are setting up three screens, read how to set up triple monitors for sim racing first. The angle and distance matter more than the size.
Which sims Max Verstappen races
| Sim | What is on record | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| iRacing | Main platform. Won the iRacing Spa 24 Hours with Lando Norris in an Audi R8 LMS (2019). Won the Bathurst 12 Hours (2021). Fifth at the Spa 24 Hours in a Porsche 911 GT3 R (July 2021). Won Daytona 24 GTD (January 2024) and the Nürburgring 24 (May 2024) with Redline | Autosport, 10 Aug 2021 and 24 May 2024 |
| rFactor 2 | Le Mans Virtual 24 Hours, January 2022: crashed out while leading. In the 2022/23 series, second at Spa, fourth at Sebring, then retired at Le Mans after a disconnection | GrandPrix247, Jan 2022. Autosport, 24 May 2024. Jalopnik, 17 Jan 2023 |
| Automobilista and rFactor | Named as sims he spends time on at home | TopGear NL, 1 Aug 2020 |
| Le Mans Ultimate | No confirmed race of his found | Checked 15 Oct 2026 |
After the 2023 Le Mans Virtual, Max said it would be his last participation (Autosport). Le Mans Ultimate, which replaced rFactor 2 for the official Le Mans esports, has not shown up in any race report with his name in it that I could find.
His team runs a wider programme: Verstappen Racing lists back-to-back Esports World Cup titles in 2024 and 2025, and in May 2026 Verstappen Sim Racing won the iRacing Nürburgring 24 Hours (Traxion, 4 May 2026). The Traxion report does not say Max drove in that one, so I am not counting it as his.
How to build something similar for less
His rig is a custom pro build. You do not need that to get the parts that matter. Take his own advice: brake pedal and wheelbase first.
- Pedals first. A load cell brake is the single biggest upgrade. Set it firm. My picks by budget are in the best sim racing pedals.
- Then the base. A small direct drive is enough. You do not need 25 Nm at home. See direct drive wheel bases.
- A rigid frame. A stiff brake on a flexing frame is wasted. Bolt everything to an aluminium profile cockpit before you buy more screens.
- Screens last. One good monitor close to the wheel beats three far away. Go triple when the rest is sorted.
- Static is fine. Max does not use motion. Neither should you on a budget.
For a full plan by price band, use my sim racing setup guide.
FAQ
What wheelbase does Max Verstappen use?
Never confirmed by him. TopGear Nederland (2020) and Motorsport.com (2026) report a Leo Bodnar SimSteering2. His team, Verstappen Sim Racing, is an official Simucube partner and uses Simucube bases.
What pedals does Max Verstappen use?
Heusinkveld pedals with a very stiff brake were confirmed by his team director to Autosport in August 2021. Motorsport.com reported Simucube ActivePedal in October 2026, which matches the team's Simucube partnership but was not attributed.
Does Max Verstappen use VR or a motion rig?
No VR in any source I found. No motion: he has said he drives a static rig because it is faster.
Does Max Verstappen play Le Mans Ultimate?
I found no confirmed race of his in Le Mans Ultimate as of 15 October 2026. His Le Mans Virtual races in 2022 and 2023 were on rFactor 2. His main sim is iRacing.
What is Max Verstappen's sim racing team called?
Verstappen Sim Racing since 23 March 2026. Before that it was Team Redline, which he joined in 2015.
Does Max Verstappen play the F1 game?
None of the sources above mention him racing the official F1 game. His in-game driver rating is a different story, covered in Hamilton's F1 23 ratings dip as Verstappen stays on top.
How much does Max Verstappen's sim rig cost?
He has never given a figure. Motorsport.com quoted unnamed estimates of $25,000 to $35,000 or more for a comparable build in 2026. TopGear Nederland put the 2020 version at around €14,000, based on its own price estimates.