In the shadow of Formula 1, Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes and the other teams are engaged in another kind of battle: a virtual championship, the F1 Esport Pro Series, which is gaining more and more popularity.
The Formula 1 teams took the virtual racing world championship by the F1 Esports Pro Series in 2019. Their presence blew up all the numbers for this booming sport, including US$500,000 in prizes shared between the competitors.
The F1 teams have been at the forefront of this video game world championship since 2018. Young drivers, lovers of virtual circuits, are their official representatives in the competition.
But before joining the stables, they must prove themselves during the off-season. You have to participate in online championships like AOR ( Apex Online Racing ).
These championships are watched by Esports teams and it’s a good way to get noticed, as Red Bull driver Nicolas Longuet points out. This first step opens the door to the Pro draft to the drivers who perform best.
Followed in 123 countries around the world in 2017, F1 Esports continues to grow in popularity.
About 1.6 million viewers followed the coronation of the pilot Tianyu Tang during the first edition of the final of the regional championship of China, indicates the official site of the discipline.
The win allows him to be qualified for the repechage and thus hope to challenge the defending champion, the Italian driver David Tonizza.
The popularity in the F1 Esports video game sports space is not about to fade. Already attractive for fans, it is becoming just as attractive for competitors.
The F1 Esports Pro Series is also a good springboard for drivers considering succeeding Lewis Hamilton and other F1 drivers or Igor Fraga, who will land in F3 this year, the virtual aces are not depriving themselves of this dream.
