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As Lucas Blakeley stepped out of his GB4 machinery, having just set a new record for the series’ largest winning margin, he’d showcased not only his physical on-track racing talents, but that of the Sim Racing community in general.

Lucas is a member of an ever-growing cohort of Sim Racing drivers successfully switching between the virtual cockpit and a physical one, combining the two to improve his driving in both worlds.

Sim Racing has improved dramatically over the years and is now more comparable to physical on-track racing than ever, as highlighted by Lucas’ ability to seamlessly shift between the two.

The Scotsman is a veteran of the F1 Sim Racing World Championship and became the series’ champion for the McLaren Shadow F1 Sim Racing Team in 2022. But before making his Sim Racing debut, Lucas had been a promising karter, who had always harboured ambitions of landing in the cockpit of a physical racing car.

In the same year he became the F1 Sim Racing World Champion, Lucas earned a chance behind the wheel of a Formula Ford 1600 in selected races of the National Formula Ford 1600 Championship. The next step was the GB4 championship, completing a part-time campaign with KMR Motorsport in 2023.

Despite missing the start of the 2024 season, Lucas proved he could race with the best, taking four wins and five podiums on his way to an impressive fifth in the Drivers' standings.

“First of all, it has been an amazing privilege to get to compete in the GB4 Championship, and to also pick up some maiden victories as well,” says Lucas. “I've done things this year that I never thought I'd get the chance to do. 

“One thing that's been very useful and insightful is the similarities in the way I go about things. Jumping in the real-world car, my tendencies are the exact same as they are in the sim. My driving style, how I approach a corner, how I brake into the corner, etc. - there are certain traits that can be very similar, despite one being a GB4 car and the other F1 Sim Racing.”

The highlight of Lucas' 2024 season came at Silverstone. Lining up second for Race 2 on the Grand Prix circuit, he nailed the start and kicked on to dominate the race, winning by over 15 seconds, the largest margin of victory in the series’ history. 
 

This kid would be buzzing 😅 pic.twitter.com/u60LoE7kZF

— Lucas Blakeley (@LucasBlakeley01) November 17, 2024

Lucas' parents, who have played a key role in supporting his racing career, were in attendance at Silverstone, making his win even sweeter.

“I still get a bit stunned when people tell me I've got the largest winning margin in GB4 history,” Lucas reflects. “I think it's 15.4 seconds, which is just phenomenal. It was such a special one for me because it was the final non-reverse grid race. 

“I knew that, starting in P2, this would probably be my last chance to try and win. It was a dream of mine to go to Silverstone, race on the full track, and win there. 

“I also had my mum and my dad there. I was just hell-bent on making it happen. I was like, 'I need to win this race. There's no other choice. I've got to win.' I got an amazing start, got the lead into Turn 1, and just didn't look back. Cars behind squabbled, but I just got my foot down.

“I think the team were expecting me to try and bring it home and be a bit more cautious, but for me, it was about, 'I don't know how many chances I am going to get in a race car.' Every time I get in a race car, I don't know when the next time will be, so, I'm going to make sure that I make a statement when I can.

“To win by that margin and to really savour that race and enjoy it, watching the gap go up every single lap, and watching my pit board, was just the most surreal experience.”

Lucas' on-track exploits have enabled him to fine-tune his driving style in physical cars and virtual ones on the simulator, making him a better overall driver.

“Getting back into a physical car has been an incredibly valuable experience that I can take back to the sim,” he reveals. “It has been very insightful in terms of how I drive, and it has helped me understand the mentality side of things better.

“They're very much parallel to each other. They're absolutely aiding one another. The experiences I have in a physical car directly result in me being better on the sim and vice versa. I have been incredibly privileged to get the opportunity to even be able to compare the two in the first place. Racing in a physical car was something that I never knew I'd get the chance to do again.”

GB4 2024 ✅ @GB4Championship

11 starts (taken 😅)
9 podiums
4 wins
7 fastest laps
2 Omologato One to Watch Awards
3 Sunoco Fastest Driver Awards

What. A. Journey 💙 KMR Sport @SimRacing_HQ | Precise Solutions GPS | Accelerate Nutriton | @sim_staff | @_SDTeam | Hizzy999 pic.twitter.com/5A7IioKK9m

— Lucas Blakeley (@LucasBlakeley01) September 29, 2024

The 2025 season marks Lucas's sixth year in the F1 Sim Racing Championship. He hopes to transfer his GB4 success into helping the McLaren Shadow F1 Sim Racing Team regain the Teams' Championship after a tricky 2023/24 season. 

Lucas is joined in the McLaren Shadow F1 Sim Racing Team by highly-rated 17-year-old Alfie Butcher, twice a race winner in 2023/24, and Wilson Hughes, who returns for another season.

“The run-up to a new season is always exciting, especially with some new additions to the team,” says Lucas. “The environment's great, and I’ve really enjoyed the chemistry within the team so far. Working together day-to-day, getting to know everybody a bit better, and enjoying that harmony. I think that will all pay dividends down the line. 

“It's crazy to think that it's going to be my third season with the team already. I want to truly savour every event, and every race that we do. At the end of the day, we get to do something pretty cool. So I am looking forward to it.”

The success of the F1 Sim Racing World Championship has enabled several other Sim Racing stars to transition from the simulator to the circuit.

Former F1 Sim Racing driver James Baldwin has raced in the prestigious Spa 24 Hours twice, driving a Garage 59-prepared McLaren 720S GT3, and even beat former world champion Sebastian Vettel at the Race of Champions.

Another example is Rudy van Buren, who won McLaren’s World’s Fastest Gamer competition in 2017 and went on to race in the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany and the Porsche Supercup. Lucas, meanwhile, has also enjoyed success at ROC, beating Vettel in 2022 and Valtteri Bottas in 2023.

“There are a lot of examples today where we have drivers jumping from the sim into a real car and showing that Sim Racing is pretty useful,” he says. “But, it comes down to your personal ambition. I've sacrificed a lot to be racing in GB4, for example. I have really pushed the envelope of what's possible to do it. But that comes down to personal desire. It’s because I want it so badly, and I would go to as many lengths as I can to do it.”

Lucas' success in real-world racing is proof, if necessary, of the ability required to compete at the top level of Sim Racing and the transferable skills. A mixture of hard work, determination, and a desire to win has propelled him back into a physical cockpit and should help him in his quest for a second F1 Sim Racing World Championship crown.