Is a worldwide lockdown what F1 Esports needed to finally get recognition?
Since we have all been denied the excitement of a live Formula One Grand Prix so far this year, there has been a void for us F1 fanatics that needs to be filled. F1 Esports has proven to be the thing to do that. As we see more and more of the 2020 driver line up take a seat in their high-tech simulators alongside football players, motorsports legends and many other famous figures for Virtual Grand Prix’s, we get a glimpse into what could be the new “norm” until we have seen the back of COVID-19.
Pic: F1.com
The Virtual Grand Prix brought in 3.2 million online viewers on its debut – like what?! The online event held on the 22nd of March was shown on several online streaming platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, Facebook Live and F1.com. We even see major broadcasters such as Sky Sports televising the online race. The driver line-up for the debut was even more dazzling than the views with several sports stars, members of the F1 2020 driver line up and celebrities all gearing up to take to the grid.
As our time in lockdown seeming to be never-ending, it is no wonder that F1 fans are looking to E-sporting streams to fulfil their F1 needs. Views on streaming websites that feature the Formula 1 2019 game - such as Twitch - are on an upward curve. These E-sports events were often neglected by many F1 fans when first starting up. However, now that the likes of Sky Sports are broadcasting and televising the race, it has resulted in F1 Esports online athletes receiving the recognition they deserve when it comes to their skill and commitment. With Sky sports even choosing to broadcast a race between professional Esports drivers after the Virtual GP, shows that they also have faith in the online sport and see the new generation of fans that Esports brings to the table.
During these Virtual GP’s and streams we have seen another side to our favourite F1 athletes. For example, Charles Leclerc and George Russell have had countless funny moments leaving us fans begging for more. The most entertaining feature of these online races are the moments where we see drivers drive into barriers and even crash into each other, without getting a scratch!!! (Obvs this would not be the case in the real world). This is thanks to damage being ‘turned off’ in the races to bring us the excitement of constant battles!!
Pic: F1.com
The unrealistic side of these Virtual GP’s is the factor that makes them so comical, especially with many deciding to create their own ‘racing lines’ (as we seen in china especially) and getting a slap on the wrist for it in Monaco where the introduction of time penalties for corner cutting started - one participant actually reached the maximum number of time penalties for this (18?!). These time penalties became the running joke of the race with almost every driver racking up more than one and leaving the fate of the race results a mystery until the very end. Ghost cars is also something that we are pretty sure F1 will not be adopting anytime soon with drivers in the front of the field being able to drive straight through these “ghost” cars (lapped cars) who are in their way.
One of the best things to have happened from lockdown - in our opinion - is getting to see so much of our favourite young drivers and more of their personalities. Charles, George, Alex and of course Lando have been on our screens most nights streaming with one another; we are living for it and love seeing their friendships strengthening! A highlight would have to of been Charles and George racing lorries and lawnmowers against each other… I’m sure if any of us had been told we would see that on our screens 6 months ago we would’ve laughed and thought no way!
However, even with all this fun, there have still been some downsides to online racing. For example, Lando Norris was caught up in some drama when he was racing in the virtual IndyCar Challenge. Simon Pagenaud was caught saying that he wanted to “take Lando out” following a small bump with the driver 3 laps earlier. Simon proceeded to slow down in front of Lando - who was on track for being 1st or 2nd - which caused Lando to crash into the fence ultimately ruining his race. This caused a lot of drama on Twitter but Lando made a joke out of it in the end with his post on Instagram.
There has even been some imposter controversy involving Daniel Abt. He was suspended by Audi AG Sport due to breaking strict compliance criteria. He was found to have hired professional Esports racer Lorenz Hoerzing in the Formula E virtual series race around Berlin Tempelhof circuit pretending to be him. He has since apologised for this, however, it is still unknown what his future steps will be.
Overall though we think that, in a way, lockdown has been the perfect time for Esports to flourish and we hope that all of us new Esports fans will continue to tune in even after racing starts up again.
Let us know what you think at @fs_formulas
Speak soon,
Sach and Soph
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