One of gaming’s competitive genres that has really seen a boost during the coronavirus lockdown is sim racing.
Here’s a quick news roundup of some of the recent headlines illustrating its upward trend.
Gfinity extends deal with F1
Gfinity has extended its relationship with F1 and been appointed to deliver the main elements of the F1 Esports Series in 2020 and 2021, as well as the 2022 qualifying events.
In addition, the F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix Series – which has seen solid interest thanks to its mix of top gamers, personalities and physical race drivers – has been extended to June of this year. As an example, Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is taking part this weekend.
Gfinity has been working with Formula 1 and Codemasters to design, develop and deliver the main elements of the F1 Esports Series since 2017.
The Virtual Grand Prix Series also replaces each live F1 Grand Prix that has been postponed due to the coronavirus.
McLaren partners with Veloce Esports
McLaren Racing has announced a new partnership with esports provider Veloce Esports to deliver a ‘multifaceted’ sim racing programme.
The partnership will see Veloce manage and develop McLaren’s esports team, focusing on event success, gamer development and the positioning of the esports team internationally.
Additionally, McLaren and Veloce will work together to create an academy for promising racing gamers and establish a ‘staircase of talent’ – with the ultimate goal being a seat in the McLaren esports team.
24 Hours of Le Mans sim racing event announced
With the postponement of the real world 24 Hours of Le Mans until September 19th/20th, the ACO, FIA WEC and Motorsport Games have announced the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual will take up the original scheduled date of June 13th/14th.
Teams made up of a combination of professional racing drivers and esport racers will challenge each other on the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit. The esports race will be broadcast live on TV across the globe and start on 3pm French time on June 13th.
The start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual will be given on 13th June at 2pm BST.
The ACO and FIA WEC has entrusted Motorsport Games with the management and production of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
