Last autumn, Robb Report Hong Kong got wind from former professional racing drivers Dan Wells and Oscar Lee that they had teamed up to create Drivers Lab in Dubai, a hyper-realistic racing simulation centre like no other. It seemed like a fine idea, but haven’t we seen similar simulation services before? Upon launch, however, it became clear that Wells and Lee were onto a winner, as an influx of professional race-car drivers flocked to Drivers Lab, heaping positive feedback. Our attention raced all the way there, too, to see what the noise was all about.
“We have had a long list of drivers come through the door since we’ve opened—GB3 winner John Bennett, LMP2 winners Colin Braun, Malthe Jakobsen, and George Kurtz, and Formula 4 podium finisher Reza Seeworuthun,” says Dan Wells, co-founder of Drivers Lab and seasoned driver who has got the Macau Grand Prix, British Formula 3 Championship, British Formula Renault Championship, and the Asian Formula Renault Championship under his belt.
Motor enthusiasts have taken to—and praised—this immersive experience, which offers a realistic 182-degree panoramic projection-room simulator with 55-inch monitors, featuring a real composite chassis, as well as the tactile feel, power, and strength of a real race car. It is virtual reality to the nth degree of what a professional driver really goes through, including a factory-grade engineering room for driver debriefs at the end of a circuit.
“Generally, the best outcome when guests drive the simulator is when they get out, say nothing in particular about the simulator unless asked, and go straight to work in the engineering room to work on their driving,” says Wells. “This is the biggest compliment because it means they are straight away working on their driving as they would in the real world. In fact, many pro racers often have their own simulators used as conditioning exercises, second only to being on track.”
“We specialise in one-to-one driver coaching and simulator sales, as well as offer direct motorsport integration through our well-established network of race teams, drivers, engineers, team principles, and more,” says CEO and co-founder Oscar Lee, himself a racing driver of note, having proved himself in several competitive arenas, including Chinese F4, Asian Formula Renault, China GT4, and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series in both Asia and Europe.
With state-of-the-art equipment and trained engineers, Drivers Lab is not only for professional drivers but all motorheads looking for bespoke simulator experience and unparalleled facilities, whether to get a feel for the thrill of a race or trying to accelerate their skillset.
Located in the heart of Motor City, Dubai, Drivers Lab is near a professional racetrack, permitting drivers and teams the most convenient access to its wide range of facilities, with plans to open in the UK, US, Malaysia, and other destinations in Asia teeming with Formula 1 fans.
“Our simulators are of the highest accuracy, so the feel of the brake, the steering, and how everything has been fine-tuned ensures that it is as close to a ‘digital clone’ of the real-life experience as possible; this is why Formula 1 drivers such as Lando Norris utilise our simulators to develop and hone their skills,” Wells affirms. “Our Formula 4 car and Formula Regional cars are within two-tenths of a second of the real-life lap time, and within one kph around the whole lap. We have to ensure that the correct techniques are taught, hence why we fine-tune constantly with updated data and video from the real world.”
Even the brightest sparks on the circuit have given it a go. “Kai Daryanani started racing in January 2023 against the best junior drivers in the world, who had been racing for nearly 10 years. Kai took his first win in the reverse grid race at Brands Hatch GP Circuit in September 2023, followed it up with podiums in Southeast Asia Formula 4, and is currently setting extremely competitive lap times in testing for British Formula 4 this year. He has used Drivers Lab extensively—none more so than between Round 1 and Round 2 of the UAE Formula 4 Championship in January of this year, where he found four-tenths of a second in the simulator, which correlated exactly on the track the following weekend, which saw him finish P9 of 35 drivers,” says Wells. “My co-founder, Oscar Lee, started racing in 2017 and utilised our simulators and coaching extensively; he credits his Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia 2023 Championship success to our simulators and driver development programmes.”
Specialising in bespoke racing simulation coaching sessions, simulator sales, and end-to-end motorsport services, Drivers Lab helps its clients achieve the targets they desire. It isn’t just a “boys and their toys” section, either—Wells informs that women have also been keeping track, as “the advent of the Netflix show Drive to Survive has seen a huge influx of women into the sport—we are seeing it in Formula 1 and further down the ladder, where we will this year have four female drivers in British Formula 4 alone. From a driver ratio perspective, the majority of our clients have been men, but there are quite a few women out there who absolutely love the thrill of driving the simulator and it is so good to see the enjoyment they get from it.”
For a beginner, Drivers Lab recommends jumping into the “Lap of the Month” challenge: 15 minutes in a modern Formula 1 car around the best circuit hosting Formula 1 that month, with a goal to set a time to win a personalised coaching session to enhance your skills. “We also offer solutions for simulator acquisition, installation, and service through our partners at Cool Performance and Pro-Sim, and annual memberships, half-day, 90-minute, and hourly rentals for chassis simulator rooms, as well as corporate and private event rentals,” says Lee.
Everyone in motorsport is looking for an edge, to improve their performance. Drivers Lab presents a solution-focused way for drivers to train, or for engineers to refine a car setup in a cost-effective manner. “We see now in Formula 1 that the simulator is basically running non-stop, especially on race weekends where the sim driver and the engineers will be trying to find solutions for the real world. And we do see in real-world Formula 1 that real-world testing is so limited these days due to cost caps so the simulator is the only option,” the co-founders share. “It will continue to be a trend. An investment in a simulator is a valid tool for a driver or a team to take advantage of the performance gains available while also being better for the environment.”
Make a booking through drivers-lab.com or @drivers.lab.
All images courtesy of Drivers Lab.
