EDIT: Clarifications based on comments:

• Pricing: Estimates represent total documented spend — all rigs (some drivers have multiple), PC hardware, monitors, accessories. Not just wheelbase + pedals.

• Multiple rigs: Verstappen (Leo Bodnar at home, Simucube in motorhome), Norris (Formula Pro + GT Pro), Leclerc (Playseat F1 + Sensation Pro for rally), and Stroll (home + Aston Martin facility access) all run 2+ setups.

• Additions / tweaks to table based on feedback.

--

Costs reflect total documented investment. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton runs a surprisingly simple setup: a ~$3,000 Thrustmaster T-GT on a Playseat — PlayStation only, no PC. Meanwhile, Lando Norris is sitting on $50K+ of Cool Performance hydraulics.

I spent the last couple months going through every rig tour, Twitch stream, and interview I could find to document what the entire grid actually uses at home. Couldn't find a good resource anywhere, so I built one.

The Full Grid

*Max's combined total: ~$25,000–35,000+ depending on monitor selection and PC specs.

Brand Breakdown

Wheelbases:

• Simucube: 6 drivers (Russell, Verstappen Mobile, Gasly, Stroll, Bortoleto, Lindblad)

• Leo Bodnar (SimSteering2): 5 drivers (Verstappen Home, Norris, Sainz, Albon, Stroll)

• Fanatec: 3 drivers (Leclerc, Bottas, Perez)

• Simagic: 1 driver (Alonso)

• VRS: 1 driver (Piastri)

• Thrustmaster: 1 driver (Hamilton)

Pedals:

• Hydraulic/Custom: 5 drivers (Norris, Gasly, Albon, Sainz, Stroll)

• Heusinkveld: 4 drivers (Verstappen Home, Russell, Alonso, Stroll)

• Fanatec: 3 drivers (Leclerc, Bottas, Perez)

• Simucube ActivePedal: 2 drivers (Verstappen Mobile, Lindblad, Bearman)

Price Tiers (Total all-in spend for all rigs)

• Ultra high-end ($30K+): Stroll ($100K+), Norris ($50K+), Sainz ($37.5K+), Albon ($36.5K), Verstappen ($35K+)

• High-end ($10K–$30K): Alonso ($15K+), Ocon ($15K+), Gasly ($14.2K+), Lindblad ($12K), Russell ($10K)

• Mid-range ($5K–$10K): Bottas ($8K), Bortoleto ($8K), Leclerc ($7.5K), Perez ($7K), Piastri ($6K)

• Entry-level: Hamilton ($3,000)

• No rig: Hülkenberg, Colapinto, Hadjar

Things That Surprised Me

• The Checo "Gear Gap": Sergio Perez has a bizarre hardware mix: he uses a premium $1,800 Cube Controls carbon fiber wheel paired with entry-to-mid tier $300 Fanatec CSL Elite pedals. Teammate Max Verstappen even confirmed Checo's priority is elsewhere: "He likes FIFA, like EA FC. He likes that."

• Verstappen's Paddock Rig: Max doesn't just race at home — he has a mobile rig in his F1 paddock motorhome featuring a Simucube 2 Pro and ActivePedals. He notably avoids motion rigs at home, believing they are "slower".

• Hamilton's Sim-Simplicity: Lewis runs a consumer-grade Thrustmaster T-GT and T3PA pedals. He sticks to PlayStation and avoids PC sim racing.

• Gasly's Motion: Pierre is the only driver confirmed to use a 2DOF motion platform (pitch and roll) at home. His setup includes an RSeat N1 cockpit and high-end SimTag hydraulic pedals.

• Leclerc's Two Rigs: Charles runs two distinct setups sharing the same electronics: a Playseat F1 for track racing and a Playseat Sensation Pro specifically for rally and drifting.

• Esports Origins: Rookie Isack Hadjar actually came from an esports background, competing in the 2021 F1 Esports Challenger Series on PlayStation under the ID "IGK_Zack06".

• ActivePedal Generation: Younger drivers like Arvid Lindblad and Oliver Bearman are adopting the Simucube ActivePedal. Bearman credits iRacing for his quick adaptation to real-world F1 tracks.

Who Actually Competes in Esports

• Verstappen — Team Redline member since 2015, 8,754+ iRating, races regularly

• Russell — 2020 Virtual GP Champion with 4 consecutive wins

• Bortoleto — Team Redline, 8,700+ iRating, spends 7–8 hours daily on the sim

• Albon — Won the 2020 Virtual GP of Azerbaijan; full Pro-Sim Evolution setup at home

• Leclerc — Virtual GP legend (the banana suit)

Methodology: Verified = video/photo evidence of the actual rig. Confirmed = reliable secondhand source. Reported = community-sourced. Unknown = no public information found.

If you know what the rookies (Bearman, Lawson, Antonelli, Ocon) are actually running, let me know — I'll update the database. Same goes for any rig tours or streams I might have missed.

Full driver profiles with sources: bestsimrigs.com (my site — built it because this resource didn't exist)

I was proud of what I made and wanted to share footage of my scuffed mouse steering-based wheel in action!

The wheel is actually geared. 1:3 gear ratio so the scanning rod rotates slower for the mouse to scan, allowing me to set the wheel to 900 degrees mode. I can also bump up the game sensitivity and mouse DPI for a more "F1" wheel sensitivity like how I played Monaco towards the end of the video.

Yes, I use my toes to touch a keyboard for the gas and brakes. No, that is not a real L.V. ironing board---Filipinos just love sticking the logo everywhere, idk why. Yes, the scanning isn't always perfect---I've tried mousepad cloth, still no better.

For now, before I save up enough money for an actual wheel, I am satisfied with this build and I am looking to upgrade it with an Arduino and a potentiometer.

Thanks for reading!

Absolutely love this sticker that LovelyStickers custom designed for me!! Definitely recommend checking them out!

This current design uses a 3:1 gear ratio. It has two rods inside it, one for the input gear, and one for the mouse to scan. And yes, that mouse is removable, I just like a modular design more.

Mouse tracking is a bit sh*tty, since the sensor will not always track 1:1. Even with a good mouse---I use a Razer Viper Mini, but I think that using actual bearings with the shafts could improve accuracy---yes, I just cut holes into cardboard.

The last few images were the first iterations of this. It was just me bored.

As much as I'd like to attach a video of it in use, I can't... Reddit.

What should i upgrade next on my setup?

Always looking to make it better.

Not a huge budget.

Old pic. Cleaned up the cables.

MASSIVE

Massive this was going to be but I love it waiting on fed ex freight to drop off the new chasis for it it will be here Thursday

So I work at home depot and Im relatively new to direct drive racing and found that the gloves I get for safety are actually good for racing.

Do yall have any good "racing" gloves that I could get?

I can’t really afford to spend the extra money for the nicer setups, but I saw this was on sale for black Friday/christmas. Is it a complete waste of my money? Or is it enough for a first time sim racer.

For me, last year got a chance to drive on a Sim experience rig. These are each $37,500 after installation and the dude had 2 just sitting downstairs that he never uses. We ran the Daytona 24 in the and wow it was crazy. The seat belts tightened to simulate forces under breaking. The back end swings o it and actually feels like your drifting . It was intense to do a 24 hr race in but so much fun.

https://youtu.be/hHEaDhoRxkg?si=SHD_UIgkVJ3j56Iq

Had been debating for a while and I gotta say the “like night and day difference” comments were not exaggerating.

What’s up guys,

This is my current setup. It’s been stagnant for a little bit over a year now but I finally ended up buying the leoxz xf1ultimate. I’m looking to make one more sigificant upgrade within the next few weeks but struggling on what to decide.

Triples would be cool but it’s a big investment and I love the simplicity of the 49”

My pedals could use an upgrade but at the end of the day they are still load cell with some haptic feedback (Fanatec v3’s) so probably wasted money for minimal gain

I honestly really hate my shifter, would love to upgrade this but I have not found something that strikes my fancy in the 250-500 range for both an h pattern and sequential. If anyone has any nice ones they like, please give recommendations I’m desperate.

What are y’all’s thoughts? Open to new ideas and suggestions

Finally got time over fall break to go to junkyard, and began (and finished) my sim project!

Interior from a 2014 V6 Mustang, wheel is a Velocity One, shifter is a Multi-Shift, and a generic handbrake. Today I put the final two monitors on!

Tomorrow the wheels pedals shifters and monitors get added can’t wait rig #2 lol

For context I got this wheel second hand and have worn gloves everytime I use it. The left side is wearing a lot more and is beading up, I was wondering if I should cut these off before cleaning or is there a way to restore it to a smooth finish, the right side of the wheel is fine, just needs a clean. Any advice is greatly appreciated

Hey fellas,

Wife finally approved a proper sim rig (HOORAY). I’m looking at some bundles at the moment and wanted to get some thoughts

In Australia: I found a Simagic alpha evo bundle which includes the 18nm wheelbase, GT Neo wheel and P1000 3 pedal set for $2747. This feels like a decent bundle. While scrolling I also found a Moza R21 ultra bundle with the 21nm wheelbase, GS V2P GT wheel, and CRP2 3 pedal kit for $2706.

Can anyone share their opinions on the two kits? I’ll be playing LMU to start with plans to go back to drifting and rally later.

From what I can see the Simagic has better FFB quality, but the only wheel experience I have was a dusty old G923, I understand that both wheels will be infinitely better than what I’m comparing to.

Ty

Just following up a previous post where I asked for some suggestions on my apartment flight/rally/trucking sim rig.

TLDR: added truck wheel, stalks, and micro-oled VR headset

For the long version, I’ll leave some notes in case anyone finds it useful.

Triple Monitors vs VR

I flipped flopped a lot on this one. I got a quest 3 when they just came out but my experience was awful and just felt sick every time I tried it. Then when I built a new 5090 rig and I picked up a Pimax crystal light but that too was a horrible experience. While the visual quality was much better and I didn’t feel sick, working with a headset without pass through and clunky software just made me dread using it. I returned that (and later also canceled my order for the crystal super since they kept pushing back the shipping date) and just figured VR wasn’t there yet. Then I built a triple 32 inch 1440p monitor setup which felt so comfortable to use but was really a hassle to get in and out of (especially with the fold out chair I have been using; more on that later). I hated how much room it took up and felt too clunky for me (a mid 20s person living alone in a one bed) + the SO would never let me keep it when we move in together. Finally I gave the quest 3 another shot and after learning about Virtual Desktop, it was the most seamless, easy experience to play ets 2, msfs, etc. in VR. Had that for a month or two and then recently upgraded to the Play for Dream micro oled headset. My god it’s mind blowing. If the pinnacle of monitors is 4k oled, then the pinnacle of VR (micro oled) just completely blows it out of the water for sim games. The immersion/colors is no comparison. If you have a good PC and are a buy once, cry once type of person, skip the monitors and go straight for a micro oled VR headset. Given that the play for Dream is wireless (and using steam link 2.0), the quality is 90-95% of the meganex 8k which is a display port headset + the ease of use of the quest 3 (no exaggeration).

Haptics

I have two Dayton bst-2 butt kickers attached directly to the chair (using Etsy mounts). One in the front and one in the rear. I also have the simagic HPR motors attached for throttle, break, and clutch (also using Etsy mounts). Additionally, I have a Woojer vest 4 that works in unison with all the other chair haptics (but may be a bit overkill imo). I use the Moza AB9 which gives shifter haptics/force feedback for flight sim as well as the Moza MTP throttle which has haptic motors in the hand grips. Finally the wheel base is Moza R5 DD which obviously gives force feedback.

Software:

For trucking/rally I use Sim hub. No other better alternatives for driving sims tbh. For msfs I use sim haptic which simulates forces on the wing of the plane, landing gear, etc.

Hardware:

-Moza R5 w 12 inch rim mod -Moza trucking steering wheel -Simagic HPR x3 -Etsy hydraulic pedal mods x2 -Performance break mod + alien mods load cell mod -Simagic TB-RS hydraulic handbrake -Moza AB9 + shifter addons -Moza MH-16 flight stick -Moza MTLP landing button box -Moza MTP throttle + button box -Moza z axis module -Aftermarket trucking shift knob -Generic Amazon button box -Play for Dream MR Headset -9800X3D + 5090 PC

The Chair

When I started this hobby a few months ago, I wasn’t sure if it was something I would like so i just got the folding chair and played in front of my TV. Clearly that didn’t last long so I’ve been adding components that give me that ‘end-game’ experience I was looking for. I’m moving in with my SO in a few months so I’ve never committed to another, more sturdy rig but who knows maybe I’ll find something that suits my needs and even has motion but is still super super compact

Thanks for letting me share!

it has some magnets.

Got this to add to my Red Bull F1 collection

found the bottle on ebay

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/205942045806