Formula One Esports Series

Last updated

FIA Formula One Esports Series
Current season, competition or edition:
Controller current.svg 2023–24 Formula One Sim Racing World Championship
F1 eSports Series logo.png
Sport Esports
Founded 2017
Owner(s) Formula One Management, Liberty Media
CEO Stefano Domenicali
CountriesWorldwide
Most recent
champion(s)		(Driver: Flag of Denmark.svg Frederik Rasmussen)
(Team: Flag of Italy.svg Ferrari Esports)
Most titles Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Brendon Leigh (2)
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jarno Opmeer (2)
Official website f1esports.com

The FIA Formula One Esports Series is a professional esports programme promoted by Formula 1. The programme was created in 2017 to involve the official Formula 1 video game and its community of players, providing a new avenue for greater engagement with the sport of Formula 1. In 2018, the official Formula 1 teams joined the programme for the first time to set up their own esports teams to compete in the Formula 1 Esports Series championship. [1]

Contents

History

The first Formula One Esports Series was announced on 21 August 2017. [2] Over 60,000 players attempted to qualify for the LAN finals of the first season, which were watched by viewers from 123 countries. Brendon Leigh won the inaugaral championship. [3]

2018 was Formula 1's first full season in esports and was split into 2 stages. In the first stage that opened in April 2018, online racers were offered the incredible opportunity to earn a place on the official esports driver line-up for one of the official F1 teams. Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport, Red Bull Racing, Force India F1 Team, Williams, Renault Sport F1 Team, Haas F1 Team, McLaren, Toro Rosso and Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team all offered positions in their esports driver line ups as part of the series inaugural Pro Draft. [1] Over 66,000 gamers participated to vie for a spot in the official F1 teams' esports team who competed in the F1 New Balance Esports Series and a chance to win a share of the $200,000 prize fund. The series drew a record audience of 5.5million across selected TV networks and live streams online. Mercedes took the 2018 Team Championship and Brendon Leigh became two-time Driver Champion. [4]

On 8 April 2019, Formula 1 announced the third instalment of the F1 Esports Series, with an increased prize fund of $500,000. [5] Ferrari joined the series after choosing not to take part the year prior. [6] The series was won by David Tonizza, driving for Ferrari Driver Academy, with Red Bull Racing Esports taking the Constructors' Trophy.

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 seasons were held remotely online rather than in a LAN setting. Both titles were won by Jarno Opmeer, in 2020 for Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen Esports and in 2021 for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports. Frederik Rasmussen finished as runner-up in both championships. The championship remained online for the 2022 season when Lucas Blakeley and McLaren Shadow claimed their first titles in the series with Rasmussen again in second.

For the next season, the championship would be renamed to "F1 Sim Racing" and was contested across late 2023 and early 2024. It was won by Rasmussen, who claimed his maiden title after finishing as runner-up in four of the previous six seasons.

Format

Seasons

YearGameVenueDriver's ChampionTeamTeam's ChampionReport
2017 F1 2017 Yas Marina Circuit, United Arab Emirates Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Brendon Leigh Flag of Italy.svg Toro Rosso Esports Not awarded Report
2018 F1 2018 Gfinity Esports Arena, United Kingdom Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Brendon Leigh Flag of Germany.svg Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Flag of Germany.svg Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Report
2019 F1 2019 Gfinity Esports Arena, United Kingdom Flag of Italy.svg David Tonizza Flag of Italy.svg Scuderia Ferrari Esports Team Flag of Austria.svg Red Bull Racing Esports Report
2020 F1 2020 Online (COVID-19) Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jarno Opmeer Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen Esports Flag of Austria.svg Red Bull Racing Esports Report
2021 F1 2021 Online (COVID-19) Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jarno Opmeer Flag of Germany.svg Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Flag of Germany.svg Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Report
2022 F1 22 Online Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lucas Blakeley Flag of the United Kingdom.svg McLaren Shadow Flag of the United Kingdom.svg McLaren Shadow Report
2023–24 F1 23 Jönköping, Sweden (R1)

Stockholm, Sweden (R2–12)

 Flag of Denmark.svg Frederik Rasmussen Flag of Austria.svg Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing Flag of Italy.svg Scuderia Ferrari Esports Team Report

Statistics

DriverChampionshipsVictoriesPole positions
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jarno Opmeer 2125
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Brendon Leigh 264
Flag of Denmark.svg Frederik Rasmussen11516
Flag of Italy.svg David Tonizza166
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lucas Blakeley164
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Thomas Ronhaar058
Flag of Hungary.svg Dani Bereznay057
Flag of Iran.svg Bari Broumand045
Flag of France.svg Nicolas Longuet038
Flag of Germany.svg Marcel Kiefer030
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Alfie Butcher020
Flag of Turkey.svg Salih Saltunç011
Flag of Germany.svg Cedric Thomé010
Flag of Spain.svg Dani Moreno010
Flag of Spain.svg Álvaro Carretón002
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Josh Idowu002
Flag of Italy.svg Enzo Bonito001
Flag of Finland.svg Tino Naukkarinen001

Excludes 2017 championship apart from Brendon Leigh's title that year

Related Research Articles

Scuderia Ferrari, currently competing as Scuderia Ferrari HP, is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "The Prancing Horse", in reference to their logo. It is the oldest surviving and most successful Formula One team, having competed in every world championship since 1950.

Aldo Costa is an Italian engineer and the Chief Technical Officer at Dallara. With 14 constructors' championships and 12 drivers' titles working for Ferrari and Mercedes, Costa is the most successful engineer and designer in F1 history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauber Motorsport</span> Swiss Motorsport engineering company

Sauber Motorsport AG is a Swiss motorsport engineering company. It was founded in 1970 by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993. Sauber operated under their own name from 1993 until 2005 and from 2011 until 2018. They were known as BMW Sauber from 2006 to 2010 and as Alfa Romeo from 2019 to 2023 in partnership deals with BMW and Alfa Romeo respectively. Sauber returned in 2024 as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and is set to be the Audi works team from 2026 onwards, with the German outfit planning to acquire the Swiss team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Schumacher</span> German racing driver (born 1999)

Mick Schumacher is a Swiss-born German racing driver who is the reserve driver for the Mercedes AMG Formula One Team and McLaren, set to compete in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship with Alpine in the Hypercar category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendon Hartley</span> New Zealand racing driver (born 1989)

Brendon Morris Hartley is a New Zealand professional racing driver who is currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Toyota Gazoo Racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esteban Gutiérrez</span> Mexican racing driver (born 1991)

Esteban Manuel Gutiérrez Gutiérrez is a Mexican racing driver currently competing in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship for Glickenhaus Racing and the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship for CrowdStrike Racing by APR. He is also a development driver for Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toto Wolff</span> Austrian racing driver and F1 team principal (born 1972)

Torger Christian "Toto" Wolff is an Austrian billionaire motorsport executive, investor and former racing driver. He holds a 33% stake in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and is Team Principal and CEO of the team.

Mercedes-Benz, a German luxury automotive brand of the Mercedes-Benz Group, has been involved in Formula One as both team owner and engine manufacturer for various periods since 1954. The current Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team is based in Brackley, England, and possesses a German licence. An announcement was made in December 2020 that Ineos planned to take a one third equal ownership stake alongside the Mercedes-Benz Group and Toto Wolff; this came into effect on 25 January 2022. Mercedes-branded teams are often referred to by the nickname, the "Silver Arrows".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrari Driver Academy</span> Racing driver development program by Ferrari

Ferrari Driver Academy is an initiative from the Formula One team Scuderia Ferrari to promote young talent within its own organisation, with several drivers being selected and funded by the team, while under long-term contracts. Over the years several Academy drivers have been promoted to Formula One: Charles Leclerc, Sergio Pérez, Lance Stroll, Mick Schumacher, Zhou Guanyu and Oliver Bearman.

Jarno Opmeer is a Dutch esports driver and former racing driver and is the 2020 and 2021 Formula One Esports Champion. He also competed in the Formula E: Accelerate Series with Mercedes-EQ. He currently competes in the Formula One Esports Series with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes AMG F1 W09 EQ Power+</span> Formula One racing car

The Mercedes AMG F1 W09 EQ Power+ was a Mercedes-Benz Formula One racing car designed and developed under the direction of James Allison, Aldo Costa, Mark Ellis, John Owen, Loïc Serra, Mike Elliott, Jarrod Murphy and Eric Blandin to compete during the 2018 Formula One World Championship. The car was driven by four-time World Drivers' Champion Lewis Hamilton, and Valtteri Bottas, both of whom remained with the team for a sixth and a second season, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes AMG F1 W10 EQ Power+</span> Formula One racing car

The Mercedes AMG F1 W10 EQ Power+ is a Formula One racing car designed and developed by Mercedes-Benz under the direction of James Allison, John Owen, Mike Elliott, Loïc Serra, Ashley Way, Emiliano Giangiulio, Jarrod Murphy, Eric Blandin and Aldo Costa, to compete during the 2019 Formula One World Championship. The car was driven by Lewis Hamilton, and Valtteri Bottas, both of whom remained with the team for a seventh and a third season, respectively.The team’s reserve driver was Esteban Ocon, coming from Force India.

The 2020 Formula One Esports Series was the fourth season of the Formula One Esports Series. It took place from October 14 to December 17, 2020. It was held on Formula One's official 2020 game. As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic the championship had no fixed venue, and was instead held online and streamed on the official F1 Youtube channel.

The 2019 Formula One Esports Series was the third season of the Formula One Esports Series. It started on September 11, 2019 and ended on December 4, 2019. It was held on Formula One's official 2019 game. The championship was held at Gfinity Arena in London, United Kingdom.

The 2018 Formula One Esports Series was the second season of the Formula One Esports Series. It started on October 10, 2018 and ended on November 17, 2018. It was held on Formula One's official 2018 game. The championship was held at Gfinity Arena in London, United Kingdom. Brendon Leigh defended his Drivers' Championship title, while his team Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports clinched its first championship title.

The 2021 Formula One Esports Series was the fifth season of the Formula One Esports Series. It started on 13 October 2021, and ended on 16 December 2021. It was held in Formula One's official 2021 game. Same as the previous year, the championship was held online due to COVID-19 pandemic and streamed on the official F1 YouTube Channel.

Brendon Leigh is a British E-sports driver. He won the F1 Esports Series in 2017 and 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes W13</span> Formula One racing car

The Mercedes W13, officially Mercedes-AMG F1 W13 E Performance, is a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team to compete in the 2022 Formula One World Championship. The car was driven by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, the latter racing his first season with the team. The team’s reserve driver was Nyck de Vries, who usually drove in Formula E for the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team. The chassis was Mercedes's first car built for the new ground effect technical regulations introduced in 2022. The W13 saw the return of the traditional silver livery, after the W11 and W12 were painted black in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, though the drivers continued to race in black overalls.

The 2022 F1 Esports Series Pro Championship was an esports competition for Formula One which was the sixth season of the Formula One Esports Series and the last installation to be named the "F1 Esports Series" before rebranding to F1 Sim Racing the next season. It was held in Formula One's official 2022 game.

The 2023–24 Formula One Sim Racing World Championship was an esports competition for Formula One which is the seventh season of the Formula One Esports Series and the first in the series to be named as the "Formula One Sim Racing Championship." It was held on Formula One's official 2023 game, featuring all ten teams from the real-life sport.

References

  1. 1 2 "F1 Esports Series about to start its second season". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  2. ↑ "F1 enters eSport arena with official championships to start in September". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  3. ↑ Massaad, Jay (11 December 2017). "20 million reasons for Formula 1 to reinvest in esports". Esports Insider. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  4. ↑ "F1 New Balance Esports Series 2018 Watched By 5.5 Million People". F1Esports News. 7 December 2018. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Formula 1 New Balance Esports Series to kick off its third season". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  6. ↑ Errington, Tom. "Ferrari joins F1 Esports series for the first time with 2019 entry". Autosport.com. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.