Although competitive gaming feels new to the world, the concept has existed for longer than you’d imagine. The tech world was flirting with it from the 1950s and there were one or two mini tournaments before Atari, in the 1980s, held the first ever recorded “Space Invaders” tournament.
Momentum picked up in the 1990s, but it was in the noughties, as technology, especially gaming consoles advanced, that competitive gaming truly took off. The rise of casino gaming online, which might entail devising a blackjack strategy or, depending on the game, another strategy, has helped develop a more competitive spirit in players that they then carry into other games.
Competitive gaming has become really popular and now has an exciting genre which has lent a big boost to the sport: Formula 1. Yes, the biggest motorsports organization in the world has entered the esports world by creating the F1 esports series. Below is a look at the F1’s entry into this domain, at some of the F1 stars and teams involved, how the esports benefit F1 and at the potential future of F1 esports.
F1 gets into eSports
F1 burst onto the esports scene in 2017 with the F1 Esports Series, an annual competition to uncover the world’s best virtual F1 driver, who is crowned the F1 Esports Series World Champion. The series was later renamed the F1 Sim Racing Series and consists of four different stages.
To take part in the series, players must first qualify for a place in the Challengers phase. The fastest six racers from each gaming console platform go on to do battle for a place in the Pro Exhibition, where they race for a chance to be signed by an official F1 team. Success in the Pro Exhibition will then see them racing in Pro Championship events for the chance to become an F1 Sim Racing Series champion.
The F1 esports series emulates true-life F1 track racing as closely as possible, but there are some key differences. In the F1 esports series, the track is shorter than in real life F1 racing. Another crucial difference is that whereas in traditional F1 racing no two cars are the same, in virtual F1 racing each car can deliver the same performance and lap times.
High profile names in F1 esports
Anyone who’s over the age of 16 and isn’t part of a professional esports team can enter the tournament. You don’t have to be a professional gamer either.
Even high-profile names from traditional Formula 1 racing have gotten involved. Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Mika Hakkinen and Valtteri Bottas have all been taking part in the virtual action. The wonderful thing about virtual F1 is that the genre places everyone on an equal footing and some professional F1 drivers have seen themselves outdone in the virtual racing tournament.
Not just big-name drivers are playing, but, also, as you may expect, F1 teams themselves. Alpine, Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Red Bull, Williams and others all have esports teams.
Reaping the benefits of esports
F1’s venture into esports has been a successful one. In the 2020s, the growth of F1 esports has accelerated. The gaming offers fans a bridge to the experience of driving an F1 vehicle and competing in the F1. It’s also provided F1 with a way to reach a younger audience and engage with them.
Millions of people watch the races. They can stream the action live on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook or, in some countries, even on TV.
The venture into esports has also enabled F1 to grow by partnering with different companies. In this case, it’s been with the game developers Codemasters and the e-sports company Gfinity. This support allows the F1 to engage with wider audiences and build its brand through the game.
The future of F1 esports
F1 esports can expect to see the genre grow. The organization reported that in 2021, the series received more than 23 million views on digital platforms, which was a 103% increase year on year. The Pro Championship, the flagship event, was the main contributor to these viewing figures.
The F1 series might also reasonably expect to see some participants possibly even build a career out of competing in the series. The series hasn’t just attracted fans of gaming, but also players who have dreamed of becoming F1 drivers but haven’t (yet) made it.
The series gives them an opportunity to achieve that dream, even if they don’t get to step into a traditional F1 car. As more and more people make it in the genre, more and more could devote themselves entirely to F1 esports.
The entry of F1 into the esports arena has been a thrilling development, both for the organization and for gaming fans. The popularity of the genre suggests it will keep going from strength to strength and, as a result, encourage more and more people to engage with F1.
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