Formula One Esports Series

The Formula 1 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]

Formula 1 Esports Series
Current season, competition or edition:
2020
SportEsports
Founded2017
Owner(s)Formula One Management, Liberty Media
CEOChase Carey
CountriesWorldwide
Most recent
champion(s)		 Jarno Opmeer
Most titles Brendon Leigh (2)
Official websitehttps://f1esports.com

In response to the Coronavirus epidemic, that caused the postponement or cancellation of several Formula 1 Grand Prix races, a Virtual Grand Prix Series is being held with the participation of current and former F1 racers and celebrity guest (including F1 Esports series racers).[2] The first Virtual Grand Prix was held on March 22, won by Guanyu Zhou.[3]

History

The first Formula 1 Esports Series was announced on 21 August 2017, with the qualification and finals stages to be held on the official Formula 1 video game of the 2017 championship.[4] Over 60,000 gamers participated in the inaugural series, watched by 123 countries around the world and generating over 20 million impressions on social media. Brendon Leigh of the UK was the first champion of the series.[5]

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 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.[6]

On 8 April 2019, Formula 1 announced the third instalment of the F1 Esports Series, with an increased prize fund of $500,000.[7] The series was won by David Tonizza, driving for Ferrari Driver Academy, with Red Bull Racing Esports taking the Constructors' Trophy.

In 2020, to take the place of the 2020 Formula One World Championship, Formula 1 launched the "Virtual Grand Prix", a series for entertaining F1 fans while the season is disrupted. The Virtual GP began with the Virtual Bahrain Grand Prix, with Guanyu Zhou as the inaugural winner. The series ended with the Virtual Canadian Grand Prix. In addition to Zhou, F1 drivers George Russell, Charles Leclerc and Alex Albon won the other virtual races. George Russell with 146 unofficial points won the series with Albon as runner-up at 108 points.[8] These events were also supported by Formula Two with Arthur Leclerc crowned as unofficial champion by four points ahead of Louis Deletraz having taken more pole positions following the Canadian Grand Prix.[9]

Format
  • Qualification - The season opens with online qualification, a global call for participation. Qualification is open to anyone with a copy of the official Formula 1 video game developed by Codemasters. The fastest gamers get through.
  • Pro Draft - Qualifying gamers enter the Pro Draft where the official Formula 1 teams select their drivers to represent them in the F1 Esports Pro Series championships.
  • Pro Series - The drivers race in 25-50% races over a series of events that are broadcast live. They earn points for themselves and their F1 teams. These races will determine the F1 New Balance Esports Series Teams’ and Drivers’ World Champions, with a portion of the prize fund distributed to the teams based on their standings.[7]

Results
Year Game Venue Driver Champion Team Champion Report
2017 F1 2017 (Codemasters) Yas Marina Circuit, United Arab Emirates Brendon Leigh Not awarded Report
2018 F1 2018 (Codemasters) Gfinity Esports Arena, United Kingdom Brendon Leigh Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Report
2019 F1 2019 (Codemasters) Gfinity Esports Arena, United Kingdom David Tonizza Red Bull Racing Esports Report
2020 F1 2020 (Codemasters) Online Jarno Opmeer Red Bull Racing Esports Report

References
  1. "F1 Esports Series about to start its second season". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  2. "Formula 1 launches Virtual Grand Prix Series to replace postponed races". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  3. "RACE HIGHLIGHTS: Guanyu Zhou takes victory in a thrilling Bahrain Virtual Grand Prix | Formula 1®". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  4. "F1 enters eSport arena with official championships to start in September". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  5. Massaad, Jay (11 December 2017). "20 million reasons for Formula 1 to reinvest in esports". Esports Insider. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  6. "F1 New Balance Esports Series 2018 Watched By 5.5 Million People". F1Esports News. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  7. "Formula 1 New Balance Esports Series to kick off its third season". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  8. "Virtual Canadian GP Results & Standings: Russell wins the championship in style". RealSport. 14 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  9. "The champions of the pro driver esports boom". The Race. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
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