Jann Mardenborough, who won recognition for his PlayStation skills, could move closer to a career in Formula 1 after making his GP3 debut in Spain on Saturday.
The 22-year-old won a ticket to the Nissan GT Academy after displaying his handy work on the game Gran Turismo and, since then, he has been drafted onto Red Bull's junior team driver development programme.
He told The Observer: "I was a normal 19-year-old student at the time. I was going to be an interior designer, but this is a lot more interesting.
"Things will have to go very wrong for me to go back to a normal job now. Nissan has a very strong presence in sports cars. So, fingers crossed, I will stay in sports cars if I don't make it to F1."
His father Steve was a professional footballer and his only career league goal for Wolverhampton Wanderers came against Liverpool in January 1984.