British motor racing brand McLaren has drafted fresh F1 esports talent for its McLaren Shadow gaming arm.
The sim racing roster for the upcoming 2021 F1 Esports Series will consist of Welsh racer Josh Idowu, Hungarian racer Dani Bereznay and Iranian racer Bari Boroumand. They have joined the team to represent Shadow throughout the 2021 season, which gets underway later this year.
This first team line-up will have access to the recently-launched McLaren Shadow Studio, a new esports and gaming facility at McLaren Technology Centre that will be used by the new-look team for training bootcamps.
Welshman Josh Idowu graduated from the McLaren Shadow Academy, the team’s dedicated programme for developing talent.
McLaren say his ‘hard work and outright pace have earned Josh a seat on the McLaren Shadow F1 2021 esports roster, and following his 2021 Challenger Series win, he is ready to make his mark at the highest level’.
“We are thrilled to announce the new McLaren Shadow line-up ahead of our fourth season competing in the F1 Esports Series. Josh is a hugely exciting prospect and is testament to our McLaren Shadow Academy, and Dani and Bari bring a wealth of experience as we look to push forward and compete at the top.”
Leeston Bryant, McLaren
Dani Bereznay is an accomplished F1 esports competitor. ‘After a fantastic performance in the 2020 season, Dani joins Shadow with the experience and talent to elevate himself and the team to the very top,’ McLaren noted.
And Bari Boroumand represents another new face for Shadow. Bari’s on-track racing pedigree includes karting and Formula 4 and sim racing. He’ll be looking to replicate his 2019 Challenger series win on an even bigger stage with Shadow this season.
To mark the launch of the team, McLaren Shadow worked with community illustrator SouriaDraws to design the official launch poster.
Leeston Bryant, manager at McLaren Racing esports, said: “We are thrilled to announce the new McLaren Shadow line-up ahead of our fourth season competing in the F1 Esports Series. Josh is a hugely exciting prospect and is testament to our McLaren Shadow Academy, as it now cultivates talent that goes on to represent us in elite sim racing.
“Meanwhile, Dani and Bari bring a wealth of experience as we look to push forward and compete at the top in what is an exciting time for the team, and our wider esports and gaming programme.”
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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.
