| Good morning. As the world continues to shake and quake, can I interest you in a racing car simulator? We at HTSI try to offer you escapes of every kind, and this one is certainly a way to zoom far away from the uncertainties of 2026. “Sim racing”, as most fans call it, is big business. Even actual real racers love it: as Rory FH Smith explains, F1 stars like Lando Norris or Max Verstappen “frequently compete in online races with other gamers, spending far more time on a track in the virtual world than they do in their day jobs”. Never mind a busman’s holiday; call this a driver’s respite. And millions are following suit. Rory has rounded up the best of the options, from simple pedal and steering wheel packages starting from €400 to high-tech simulator set-ups that cost £2.5mn and above. 
© McLaren My favourite is the Prodrive Racing Simulator, positioned in the middle of the market at a cool £60k. Designed to be the world’s most beautiful simulator, it is, with its lacquered beech wood shell, Connolly leather-lined interior and Bang & Olufsen sound system, “the Ferrari of the sim-racing world”. I’d quite like to sit in it, and I don’t even drive. It’s definitely a bit sexier than some of the cheaper options, which I’m sure are brilliant, but evoke a souped-up BabyBjörn. Who’s the fluffiest of them all? | | | | Alice Kantor has delved deep into the world of the fluffy pancake for us. I had no idea, but the soufflé pancake, having perhaps originated in Hawaii, is now a Japanese speciality, with some iterations reaching as far as two inches high. I mean, I’m sorry: that’s a sponge. But since I welcome and respect cultural exchange, I will hold my peace. Alice has given you very thorough instructions on how to make the fluffiest versions possible, with a special recipe to boot, but since I’m incorrigibly lazy I think I’d just rather get the train to Fuwa Fuwa in Paris, and try its transmogrified tiramisu. 
© Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association Finally, another type of escapism: have you ever dabbled with a fringe? You can’t deny it’s of the moment: in the UK, Claudia Winkleman’s heavy bangs are doing a lot of the heavy lifting on The Traitors, while in America they’re part of the ongoing style seduction campaign by Rama Duwaji (aka Mrs Zohran Mamdani), and Odessa A’zion’s thick frilly curtains deserve their own Best Supporting nod in Marty Supreme. If you want to join the tribe, our very own Inès Cross – a long-time fringe advocate – has provided a comprehensive guide to channelling your inner Jane Birkin. It’s a fascinating peek into a particular subset of the hair world, championing things like “velcro fringe patches” or “Le Frange Puff”. It’s also the only Financial Times article you’ll ever read that goes on about “bangs” so much: I heartily recommend you give it a go. | | | | THREE MORE STORIES TO READ THIS WEEK | | |
