McLaren Racing hosted the launch event of the F1 Esports Series 2022 Women’s Wildcard in the UK’s McLaren Shadow Studio.
The Women’s Wildcard was created in 2021 to support the increased inclusion and diversity of women in esports, and the launch event was attended by broadcast journalist Natalie Pinkham, McLaren Shadow ambassador Emily ‘Emree’ Jones, and a number of female sim racing influencers.
The winner of the competition will be put forward to compete in the 2022 F1 Esports Series Pro Exhibition.
Launched in 2021, the McLaren Shadow Studio is McLaren’s dedicated activity hub for its esports and gaming programme, serving as a space for the McLaren Shadow esports team to train and capture gaming content. The McLaren Shadow Studio is based at McLaren’s Technology Centre in Woking.
McLaren says the competition aligns with its ‘commitment to increasing diversity and inclusion, which forms a key pillar of the team’s sustainability programme’.
“We are passionate about making esports a more accessible and welcoming space for women, and the talent and creativity in our Shadow Studio [at this event] highlights why diversity is so important.”
Lindsey Eckhouse, McLaren Racing
Lindsey Eckhouse, director of licensing, ecommerce and esports at McLaren Racing, said: “It was a pleasure to support the launch of F1 Esports Women’s Wildcard for 2022. We are passionate about making esports a more accessible and welcoming space for women, and the talent and creativity in our Shadow Studio [at this event] highlights why diversity is so important.
“The Women’s Wildcard is a fantastic platform, and I look forward to following this year’s edition. This event underpins McLaren Racing’s value of promoting diversity, equality and inclusion, and esports has an exciting role to play in this mission.”
Ben Pincus, director of commercial partnerships at Formula 1, added: “The F1 Esports Women’s Wildcard represents a fantastic opportunity for females to participate in esports and experience another aspect of our sport. Formula 1 continues its efforts to create a more diverse and inclusive esports space that’s accessible to all, and I look forward to seeing the platform continue to grow.
“I am grateful to McLaren Racing for hosting today’s event in their incredible Shadow Studio, and for showing their support and continued commitment to making esports more welcoming to women.”
McLaren’s British F1 racer Lando Norris is also involved in esports, with his org Quadrant.
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.
