The 2022 F1 Esports Series Pro Championship, presented by Aramco, is almost here!
10 teams and their 30 drivers will soon be ready to battle it out for the title over the next few months, starting on the 14th of September.
This is will the 6th season of the F1 Esports competition, with the rise of Esports and it becoming a lot more popular, their influence is even more significant than ever before. F1 Esports in particular has had an incredible increase in terms of audience figures over the past couple of years, and, rightly so.
I understand it may not be for everyone, and I’ve heard many questions as to why I want to watch others play a game, that I could play myself. But, it’s much more than that. For the same reasons I watch F1, I love the competitiveness and my love of racing prevails.
I’m here to give you a complete rundown ahead of the 2022 season, just in case you choose to give it a go this year.
FORMAT
New for this year, we see the introduction of longer, 50% distance races as well as an additional day of racing. Spread out over 12 rounds, this year’s Pro Championship will consist of four events, each containing three qualifying and race sessions on three separate days. Do you know what that means? Six streams per event, and more action for fans.
Same as F1, drivers must make one pit stop if the weather is dry but are not obligated to do so if it’s wet. They earn points for themselves and their F1 teams. These races will determine the F1 Esports Series Pro Championship Teams’ and Drivers’ World Champions, with a portion of the prize fund distributed to the teams based on their standings.
These events will be held from Wednesday-Friday, all qualifying streams will be available on Twitch and YouTube, with the race streams broadcasting on Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook, all on F1’s official pages.
DRIVERS*
We couldn’t have an F1 Esports competition without the drivers, could we? We are still waiting for some of the teams to make an official announcement on who will be driving for them this season. However, a few of the teams have already made their competitors known.
Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN F1 Esports Team revealed their all-new lineup at the beginning of July, signing multiple race-winners Nicolas Longuet and Dani Bereznay, as well as series newcomer Tomek Poradzisz.
New season, new lineup! Williams Esports will field Alvaro Carreton, who will be ready to embark on his fifth season with the team, as well as team newcomers, Daniele Haddad and Shanaka Clay. This duo has affinity already, having both driven with Aston Martin Cognizant Esports Team in 2020 and 2021.
The Scuderia Ferrari Velas Esports Team will once again be calling on two past champions for the Pro Series Championship, both of who raced with the team last year. 2019 champion, David Tonizza, and 2017/2018 champion, Brendon Leigh will be joined by Fabrizio Donoso for this season.
Two-time Formula 1 Esports Series Pro Championship teams’ champions Red Bull Racing Esports unveiled an unchanged driver line-up for the incoming F1 series with Frede Rasmussen and Marcel Kiefer at the wheel. Liam Parnell is also on the team lending technical support.
At the end of August, Aston Martin Cognizant Esports Team announced their F1 Esports Pro Championship line-up, as the team looks to build on a strong debut season. Having finished second in the Drivers’ Championship and third in the Constructors’ Championship, the team will be determined to carry the momentum with their all-new lineup of Manuel Biancolilla, John Evans, and Simon Weigang.
Today it was announced that Lucas Blakeley would be joining McLaren Shadow alongside Bari Boroumand and Wilson Hughes, a very exciting announcement for the team. Lucas had a successful 2021 season, and his journey will be an exciting one to follow in the McLaren team.
Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Esports Team also confirmed their driver lineup today, they will be retaining reigning champion Jarno Opmeer, as he looks to defend his title and become the first driver to win three consecutive Pro Series championships. He will be joined by Dani Moreno and Jake Denham.
*will be updated as more teams announce their lineups.
CALENDAR
Event 1
September 14th – Sakhir, Bahrain
September 15th – Imola, Italy
September 16th – Silverstone, Great Britain
Event 2
October 12th – Red Bull Ring, Austria
October 13th – Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
October 14th – Zandvoort, Netherlands
Event 3
November 2nd – Monza, Italy
November 3rd – Mexico City, Mexico
November 4th – Austin, USA
Event 4
December 14th – Suzuka, Japan
December 15th – Interlagos, Brazil
December 16th – Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi
There is everything you need to know about the F1 Esports Pro Series Championship this year, will you be giving it a go this season? Tune in on the Official F1 Twitch Channel on the 14th of September.