After a successful start last month, event 2 of the F1 Esports Pro Series presented by Aramco, gets underway this afternoon.

Event 1 was dominated by Alfa Romeo’s Jarno Opmeer, who secured two victories, while reigning champion David Tonizza also picked up a win for Ferrari. 

Event 2 will get underway at Zandvoort, a brand new circuit for the F1 Esports Pro Series, before moving on to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. On Thursday drivers will be going wheel to wheel at the Red Bull Ring, to round off the first half of the series. 

Live racing will be streamed online via F1’s official channels on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and Huya, and broadcast on television by international partners including ESPN (US), Sky (UK), and Ziggo (Netherlands), while Qualifying show content will be streamed exclusively on Twitch, YouTube, and Huya (China). 

Drivers competing in this year’s Pro Series have also combined to create the ultimate gaming playlist for F1 Tracks, featuring tracks from KAM-BU, Nothing But Thieves, You Me At Six, The Weeknd, Queen, Kings of Leon, and even Elvis Presley. 

The competition’s stars conveyed the excitement of this year’s Pro Series, with Marcel Keifer, who visited the Red Bull Performance Centre in October, saying:

“I’ve been to the Red Bull Performance Centre with the team. It was a really great experience, because we got to know more stuff about all the other areas that we don’t usually cover in our Esports training, like the physical activities, scheduling and how important it is to sleep and get physical exercises that can really increase your performance. It helped us a lot, and I think it already shows we’re in a good position for the season.”

And, Dani Bereznay, giving his view on the main competitors for the title:

“I think it’s good to be the team to beat but Alpha Tauri with Joni Tormala and Red Bull with Marcel Kiefer and Frederik Rasmussen are an insanely fast pair. Also, Ferrari with Enzo Bonito and the former champion, David Tonizza, are really big threats. 

“If you see the timings and not just the results, there is maximum one tenth of a second that separates us from most of the field. It’s basically one apex, one little mistake, and the championship can turn upside down pretty quickly. That’s why esports is so good! We definitely don’t treat it like we’ve already won and we definitely won’t let off as the others are super motivated.”

AYO.NEWS says:

F1 Esports has gone from strength to strength this year, benefiting from the surging popularity of sim racing in general – something catalysed by the significantly increased mainstream coverage during the COVID-19 lockdowns. 

Recently, AYO.NEWS’ very own Simona Pinterova caught up with Julian Tan, Head of Digital Business Initiatives & Esports at Formula 1, to find out how the iconic racing organisation has expanded its esports offering, and what the future has in store. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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