Formula 1 eSports World Championship Announced

It seems that McLaren’s World’s Fastest Gamer competition has opened the gateway to more F1 related Esports initiatives. It took them a while, but the Formula 1 management finally realised the business potential of Esports as it is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the multi-million-dollar gaming industry.

Therefore, eSports company Gfinity and Codemasters today announced that in a long-term partnership with Formula 1 they will host the first official 2017 F1 eSport Series. With this initiative, Formula 1 hopes to reach a wider audience and especially attract younger fans as future F1 enthusiasts. So just as Mclaren predicted, it might not be long before all F1 racing teams have their own virtual counterparts.

The inaugural F1 eSport season will start this September following the launch of the Codemasters F1 2017 game on PlayStation4, Xbox One and Windows PC on August 25th. During the month of September, the competitors will take part in an online F1 2017 qualification system that will determine the 40 fastest drivers which will go on to the live semifinals held at the Gfinity Arena in London on 10 and 11 October. To qualify for the semi-finals, the competitors will have to race on the virtual versions of the Monza and Suzuka circuits.

The Top 20 semi-finalists will qualify for the finals, which will take place as part of the prestigious 2017 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this November. At the end of a three-race event, the first Formula 1 Esports World Champion will be crowned on the same weekend as the final 2017 Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Alongside the pride and prestige of being the first-ever champion, the winner will also be the Formula 1 Esports Champion Expert for 2018 and will automatically qualify for the semi-finals of next year’s Formula 1 Esports Series. The first winner will also be offered the opportunity to live the full experience of a Formula 1 race by attending one of the 2018 Grands Prix, as well as becoming a character in the F1 2018 game: a timeless reminder of his or her accomplishment.

Registration for the Formula 1 eSports World Championship will be opening soon. Make sure you check out f1esports.com for more info.

2017 Formula 1 eSports World Championship

Qualification / Online  – Starts 4th Sept 2017

• 2 unique scenarios will challenge your driving skills to the maximum – manage your race strategy and score enough points to qualify for the semi-final showdown.

Semi Final / London –  10 October 2017

• 40 drivers will qualify for the live broadcast semi-final from the Gfinity eSports arena in London, racing against each other for 20 places in the official Formula 1 Esports Series Grand Final.

Final / Abu Dhabi – 24-25 November 2017

• 20 finalists will be invited to the 2017 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where over 2 days, drivers will race to become the inaugural Formula 1 Esports Series champion.

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Sean Bratches, Managing Director, Commercial Operations at Formula 1 said: This launch presents an amazing opportunity for our business: strategically and in the way we engage fans. First, it’s a growing category with tremendous fan engagement that we’re entering in a big way; and we are proud to have Codemasters and Gfinity joining us on this ride. Of course as we do in Formula 1, we’ll continue to evolve and innovate in the way we run this virtual counterpart to the F1 Championship to ensure we provide the most exciting and enjoyable experience we can for our fans.

 

Frank Sagnier, CEO at Codemasters said: Esports is one of the fastest growing sectors of gaming already attracting audiences in the tens of millions. We are delighted to be announcing this incredible racing series with Formula 1 for our upcoming F1 2017 game. The highly competitive nature and high-speed spectacle of the sport combined with the authenticity of our game will provide a thrilling experience for players and viewers across the world. We look forward to engaging more deeply with our loyal and passionate community, and to bring new fans to both our game and the sport itself.

 

Neville Upton, CEO, Gfinity said: Formula 1 entering esports is a ringing endorsement for what spectacular entertainment esports provides and how vital it is to cutting-edge organisations that want to push the boundaries of entertainment and fan experience. Like Formula 1, Gfinity has the experience, skill and infrastructure to put on world-class events and we look forward to delivering fans the Formula 1 esports Series with excellence.

Official Webpage – f1esports.com