A few of the current F1 drivers already have sim setups and play driving sims as well as the official F1 video game. What you're suggesting isn't too far off.
F1 sims, as fancy as they are, are pretty useless at replicating the actual experience on the track as they don't and can't replicate the high G-forces drivers experience and which impact the deriving style required to actually perform.
But still training hand eye coordination and reflexes even if it is “dry practice” is super useful and F1 drivers do that which is also much cheaper than training on track.
Every sport uses “dry practice “ anyway. So you argue like punching bag is useless because it does not punch back boxers still do that.
Verstappen is aa bad example. He races F1 to finance his sim passion.
Hamilton was very outspoken that he dislikes the sim that it doesn't really make you a better F1 driver.
F1 drivers are good at motorsport because they've been driving in motorsport since they were 5 years old so they built decades of muscle memory on the real deal learning to feel the car with their butts, not because they play the sim all day, otherwise every Gran Turismo fan would be driving in F1.
There are a couple of examples of drivers starting in sims (though not in F1). Verstappen plans to make a GT3 team and promote good sim drivers to actual racing, so he is a good example in that his team may prove or disprove the theory.
I really like Hamilton and somewhat dislike Verstappen but I think Hamilton is wrong here. Of course physical practice is better, but surely there are some worthy drivers with access to sims but not karting at a competitive level that may be found by sim racing. Plus one can do both, and plenty of F1 drivers claim sims make them better.
They're just a super expensive video-game.