Q: Can you introduce yourself and share a little about your journey in motorsports?
OC: My name is Ole Corvers, i'm a 14 (15 in January) year old simracer from the Netherlands. I started racing on the old Play Station 3 I got from my nephew when I was 8, along with some games like Gran turismo and some old F1 games. I really liked driving; it was purely for fun back then. I used to watch overtakes by F1 drivers and then try to use them in game against the AI. That's really how i learned the fundamentals of racing.

Q: What pulled you into sim racing in the first place? 
OC: It was just a love for cars and racing. I can remember the first F1 race i ever saw was Brazil 2016 when Max had a massive slide in the rain and kept it. From then I was hooked. I also have a photo of me sitting on my dads lap in bed watching the 24 hours of Le Mans at 6 months old. My dad is a very big car fanatic and I naturally fell in love with cars and racing too.

Q: Looking ahead, what are some of your goals in motorsport over the next few years, whether in sim racing, real-life racing, or both?
OC: Next year I want to go to the Ginetta Junior Scholarship and see if I can win that. The prize is a fully funded and insured seat for the Ginetta Junior Championship the year after. Looking further out, I have a few major races I'd like to win if I make it to real racing which include the 24 hours of Le Mans, Macau, the 24 hours of Nürburgring and many more.

Q:  Is there anyone in the motorsport world that you really look up to? What is it about them that inspires you?
OC: I have 4 main inspirations really. Kevin Estre for his absolute alien levels of pace, Niki Lauda for his technical expertise, Max Verstappen also for his alien levels of pace and what he's doing to bring simracers i to real racing, and finally Jimmy Broadbent because he's a great guy and also a sim racer who went to real racing.

Q: How do you typically prepare for a race, both mentally and technically? Do you follow a routine, or does it depend on the event?
OC: I usually practice a lot in the weeks before the race and I try to learn the track out of my head (if I haven't already done that). Mentally i try to find a good balance between practicing and racing for fun and right before the race i try to listen to music which gets me in "the Zone"

Q: What’s something many people may not realise about the sim racing world that’s actually really important?
OC: Many people think it is just a game but some like iRacing and Assetto Corsa are super realistic with actual physics and calculations behind them. There's a reason why important drivers, like Max Verstappen, pay so much attention to it and use it a lot to train at home.

Q: Out of all the races you’ve been part of, is there one that stands out as the most memorable? What made it so special or intense?
OC: That would be a race i did to raise money for cancer research at the end of this summer. It was a 12 hour race, which was my first race over 3 hours, and we finished P11 out of 21 and we raised about €2300 for the research.

Q: What’s the most valuable lesson you have learnt so far through racing?
OC: The most valuable lesson I've learnt is that, sometimes, to go faster you have to slow down. It sounds counterintuitive, I know, but most people think that if they go full speed into a corner that that is the fastest way even though through some corners where you can go flat out it's better to brake to go faster on the exit.

Q:  Sim racing doesn’t always get the spotlight it deserves. What do you think could be done to help it grow and give it the popularity and respect it deserves?
OC:  I think big events, where big prizes could be won, should be held by big names. Say a championship where the best 20 or so drivers from iRacing get to compete in a championship to prove that they belong in real racing. I think it could definitely show the potential of sim racing.

Q: What advice would you give to someone who just got into sim racing?
OC: Don't get ahead of yourself. I know F1 cars seem fun but start low and don't spend a lot of money on stuff if you don't know what it does. I see so many people buying a very expensive wheelbase but a very cheap rig and still wonder why their rig vibrates so much. Just take it slow.