The New Age of F1 Esports and Motorsport
ESports has taken
online gaming to another level, with its growing influence becoming visible
every day. The introduction of F1 eSports and
Motorsport is
gradually taking the online gaming industry by storm. Currently, players have a
huge collection of games to choose from, including FIFA Soccer, NBA 2K basketball, and Overwatch, among
others.
It is estimated that
the eSports industry has a global viewership of over 300 million globally. The
events that involve the participants and onlookers take place online and at
centralized arenas. Online gaming is no longer a fun activity only. Currently,
professional gamers earn an average of One Million USD annually, like other top
athletes.
What You Need To Get Started and Go Pro
Before rising to become
a pro gamer, you must learn the rules of the games and ensure that you have the
appropriate gaming equipment and skill set. You must acquire a good gaming
platform first and then work on your skills. Some of the platforms to consider
for F1 eSports are the Xbox One, PC, or PlayStation 4.
You must be more than
16 years to participate in The Challenger Series. Gamers must emerge among the
top 8 in the challenger series to get an invitation to the challenger series.
You must also meet additional requirements to go pro. In essence, gamers must
put in the hard work to reach the top.
Formula 1 Esports
The Formula One eSports
is the only avenue that fans can experience the thrill of racing at 200 miles
per hour. In the previous past, Formula One seemed to stay away from the gaming
industry. However, in 2017, Formula One entered the eSports market with an
official Formula One eSports Series. The McLaren F1 team’s World’s Fastest
Gamer tournament was also launched.
In 2020, the Formula
One launched a new F1 eSports virtual Grand Prix series. The series would
feature several current F1 drivers. It was created to allow fans to continue
following the Formula One races virtually.
The Formula eSports has
also attracted a more youthful and tech-savvy fan base. They partnered with
game developer Codemasters and Gfinity, an eSports event organizer, to create a
worldwide tournament that attracted about 64,000 participants in 2017.
The rise of Formula One
eSports was partially fueled by the current global pandemic that forced more fans
to switch to the virtual motorsport. The switch has helped the F1 eSports
Series and the Virtual Grand Prix to register tremendous success. The 2020
Grand Prix season was supposed to kick off in March in Melbourne, Australia,
but was canceled. Five days after the Australian GP was called off, they came
up with a solution- the F1 eSports Virtual Grand Prix Series.
In the virtual series,
professional Formula One drivers like Charles Leclerc, AlexAlbon, and Lando
Norris joined other stars and athletes like Sergio Aguero and Thibaut Courtois
to battle it out in the F1 2019 series.
The virtual events also
attracted a viewership of almost 350,000. This huge interest was noticed by TV
stations like the German Channel RTL that broadcasted the Virtual Grand Prix of
Spain recently.
Bottom Line
The F1 eSports has
experienced great success since its launch in 2017. In 2020, the F1 fans and
the gamers met for the first time, a significant development for virtual
racing. The future of F1 eSports is bright as more young fans join in, with
some hoping to use it as a starting point for their F1 careers.
