From Virtual to Real: Sai Makes Seamless Transition from Sim Racing to F4
With the championship now heading to Chennai, Sai is looking forward to racing on “home soil”
By : C Santosh Kumar
Update: 2026-09-26 05:56 GMT
Chennai: For most people, simulator racing is a game. For Chennai teenager Sai Aditya, it became the first step towards a career in motorsport. The 19-year-old took to racing simulators during the Covid-19 pandemic. Four years later, he is racing a real Formula 4 car, competing against young drivers from Kenya, South Africa, Norway, Singapore and Australia in the FIA championship. It has been an unconventional route to single-seater racing, but one that Sai believes has prepared him well.
Born in New York while his father was working in the US, Sai grew up in Chennai with his grandparents. He studied at Sishya and is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of London through its hybrid programme.
His interest in motorsport came gradually. “I was around 12 or 13. I watched F1 for some time, but I was never really interested in racing. I was more interested in aerospace engineering. Slowly, I started seeing the parallels between aerospace and racing and became more interested,” Sai said.
Towards the end of the pandemic, in 2022, he bought a basic simulator online — a steering wheel and pedals — and began learning the fundamentals of car control and race setups. “What started as a cheap simulator became something much bigger. I started competing online against some of the best drivers in the world, including real racing drivers and factory drivers,” he said.
The move from a virtual cockpit to a real racing car came in 2024. Sai first tested a Formula LGB car at Kari Motor Speedway before travelling to Bahrain for a training programme conducted by the Winfield Racing School in France. It was his first experience of a proper Formula 4 car.
Towards the end of the pandemic, in 2022, he bought a basic simulator online — a steering wheel and pedals — and began learning the fundamentals of car control and race setups. “What started as a cheap simulator became something much bigger. I started competing online against some of the best drivers in the world, including real racing drivers and factory drivers,” he said.
The move from a virtual cockpit to a real racing car came in 2024. Sai first tested a Formula LGB car at Kari Motor Speedway before travelling to Bahrain for a training programme conducted by the Winfield Racing School in France. It was his first experience of a proper Formula 4 car.
“I had to get an NOC from the FMSCI because they normally require some karting or real-world racing experience to test these cars. It was a massive learning curve, but I picked it up pretty quickly. By the end of the two-day test, I was setting good lap times,” he said.
The transition was not without its challenges. “In a simulator, if you make a mistake, it’s fine. In real racing, if you lock up, you can ruin your tyres. You may need a new set, and that costs money. It’s a very expensive sport, so your mentality changes the moment you get into a real car,” Sai said.
There was also the physical challenge. A simulator can teach car control and racecraft, but it cannot replicate the forces a driver experiences in a real car travelling at 200 kmph. “In a real car, your body is moving sideways through a corner at 200 kmph. You are not used to that feeling. Basic karting prepares you for it, and karting is also one of the most physical forms of motorsport,” he said.
That is where Sai believes he lacked experience compared to drivers who came through karting. “But the advantage I had was mental. When I sat in a real racing car for the first time, I felt completely at ease,” he added.
Karting graduates, he pointed out, arrive with an understanding of race weekends, tyre management, regulations and racecraft. Sai, however, had something else — thousands of hours of virtual racing.
He joined Chennai Turbo Riders for the 2026 Formula 4 season and has steadily improved through the championship. He started his first race at Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore from 11th and finished eighth in a 14-car grid.
The second round was more difficult, with damp, slippery and windy conditions. Yet Sai continued to make progress and at one stage was running as high as sixth. “I kept improving. I understand the car a lot better now,” he said.
With the championship now heading to Chennai, Sai is looking forward to racing on “home soil”.
The transition was not without its challenges. “In a simulator, if you make a mistake, it’s fine. In real racing, if you lock up, you can ruin your tyres. You may need a new set, and that costs money. It’s a very expensive sport, so your mentality changes the moment you get into a real car,” Sai said.
There was also the physical challenge. A simulator can teach car control and racecraft, but it cannot replicate the forces a driver experiences in a real car travelling at 200 kmph. “In a real car, your body is moving sideways through a corner at 200 kmph. You are not used to that feeling. Basic karting prepares you for it, and karting is also one of the most physical forms of motorsport,” he said.
That is where Sai believes he lacked experience compared to drivers who came through karting. “But the advantage I had was mental. When I sat in a real racing car for the first time, I felt completely at ease,” he added.
Karting graduates, he pointed out, arrive with an understanding of race weekends, tyre management, regulations and racecraft. Sai, however, had something else — thousands of hours of virtual racing.
He joined Chennai Turbo Riders for the 2026 Formula 4 season and has steadily improved through the championship. He started his first race at Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore from 11th and finished eighth in a 14-car grid.
The second round was more difficult, with damp, slippery and windy conditions. Yet Sai continued to make progress and at one stage was running as high as sixth. “I kept improving. I understand the car a lot better now,” he said.
With the championship now heading to Chennai, Sai is looking forward to racing on “home soil”.
Sai could have taken the conventional route of competing in rookie-level national racing, but at 19, he feels time is already against him in motorsport. “By racing standards, 19 is almost like being a dinosaur,” he said with a laugh.
F4 also offers something important — FIA points. “For someone like me, who has limited funding to make the move to Europe, racing in F4 gives me more value because I can score FIA points,” he said.
The next step, he hopes, will be a move into Formula Regional racing, either in Europe or the Middle East. Sai has also been documenting his journey online for nearly two years, hoping to build an audience and attract the support needed to continue his career.