A lap of Silverstone in the simulator of the hybrid Toyota

Simulators have become an almost mandatory chapter for every professional driver in their preparation for the next race. It is well known that Toyota has one of the largest simulator facilities in the world for its drivers, remnants of what remains from the era when the Japanese house had a Formula 1 team.

That is why you will notice that the simulator has the shape of a Formula 1 single-seater (it is said to be one of the real chassis built when the brand competed in the top category). Today, this simulator is mainly used so that drivers can train on the circuits of the World Endurance Championship and, although externally it is a single-seater, on screen the driver has the view as if they were in the cockpit of the Toyota TS030 Hybrid.

For those who are a bit more detail-oriented, graphically the simulator is not too far removed from a modern racing game, but it offers an almost 360-degree view, or what we can perceive of the surroundings from a racing car. However, the physics and the car’s reactions are much more detailed, and in addition, the technical staff follows every step of the engine’s operation and the details of the lap times, as if they were in the team’s pit box.

Going off track here will not hurt you, but it will certainly earn you reproachful looks from the Japanese bosses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCRZ87uN_EI&feature=player_embedded

Via | YouTube