Relationship Between F1 and eSports Set to Grow in 2021
Unless they have been living on another planet, most F1 fans will have noted the inexorable rise of what is known as eSports in the world of F1, with everyone on the paddock having an opinion as to their virtues and drawbacks.
What is clear is that they are here to stay, with traditional teams like Ferrari going above and beyond to make sure that this online avenue is tapped as fully as possible, both to attract new fans to F1 and even to recruit new driving talent.
In this article we look at how the relationship between F1 and the world of eSports looks only set to strengthen.
Training Drivers No Longer Costs the Earth
Although F1 is a sport that has always been cash rich, that is not to say that teams will not try to skimp on costs when and where they can.
The rise of racing sims and ultra-lifelike video games such as F1 2020, mean that many young guns are coming up through the driving ranks without so much as setting foot in a go-kart or a Formula 3 car, because all the practice they could ever need is online.
This has been evidenced by new sensation George Russell, first of all proving his worth in the F1 eSports Series, before then doing the same when he replaced Lewis Hamilton at the recent Sakhir GP, only being denied victory by a terrible pit stop and a puncture. No matter what dissenters like Alpha Tauri think, eSports drivers are on their way to taking over the sport.
Ferrari are just one of the F1 teams that are taking the rise of eSports incredibly seriously, and factoring it into how they develop the drivers of tomorrow
How Other Sports Are Already Following F1’s Lead
F1 first began making moves into the realms of eSports back in 2017 when it launched its very own ground-breaking F1 eSports Series.
Most other sports bodies and organisations watched on with fleeting interest, with many viewing it as a mere flash in the pan; a fad that would eventually fade from memory.
Fast forward to 2020 and suddenly many such sports were chasing their tails, with execs asking each other how they had managed to be caught out so badly. This was all against a backdrop of F1 doing a great job of making valuable synergies between its regular racing series and its eSports series, pitting F1 legends of past and present against online gamers.
This has now led to a whole host of sports scrambling to make an impact in the eSports world before this booming market is bled dry by other industries. Football’s global governing body has recently launched not one but three major international eSports competitions. The market leader in poker has recently joined forces with top Brazilian eSports organization Furia. And last but not least there is the NBA, which has aligned itself with NBA 2K, to create the NBA 2K League, with the competition even boasting its very own draft process.
It remains to be seen if such sports are entering the eSports domain for the long term as F1 has, or if these are fluid moves designed to capitalise on a short-term trend. One thing is for sure, F1 is better placed than many to benefit if the popularity of eSports continues to grow.
Posting impressive lap times can now get video gamers recognised by legitimate F1 power brokers, breaking down the sport’s many entry barriers
Current F1 Stars are Loving Every Minute
Despite always wearing the sharpest threads and being very much in vogue, Lewis Hamilton is no spring chicken anymore, and neither are the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Romain Grosjean.
That means that a new breed of driver is on the way through, and guess what, they love eSports.
All of the brightest young things on the F1 grid have featured heavily in the F1 eSports Series and regularly credit it when talking about how they got to the top. You can even watch the likes of Charles Leclerc and his girlfriend race virtually on his YouTube channel and should expect more such blurring of the lines between the two sports in the future.
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