Ferrari to join official F1 Esports championship
Source: Codemasters
F1 News
- Jake Williams-Smith
Ferrari is set to compete in Formula 1's official Esports league after being the only team not to commit to an Esports programme on the grid.
Ferrari was the only team not to take part in the official pro draft for the league with the team announcing that it would create an in-house esports programme within its driver academy for the competition.
Mercedes' Brendan Leigh retained his championship last season, going back-to-back in 2018 to become a double F1 esports world champion.
The Mercedes driver has also transferred over to real-world racing, competing in the BRSCC National FF1600 championship in 2019 with Kevin Mills Racing.
"It's incredibly exciting to welcome all 10 teams to take part in the 219 F1 New Balance Esports Series for the first time," F1's head of Esports Julian Tan said in a statement.
"Last year saw amazing growth for the series and with the commitment of Ferrari completing the virtual grid, we continue to elevate the series to greater heights as we further align our virtual and real world sports, creating on of the world's most innovative esports offerings whether in motorsports or beyond.
"As the 10 teams all vie for a cut of the $500,000 prize fund, this is going to be the biggest season to date."
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The grid is set...
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 31, 2019
The 2019 F1 @newbalance Esports Series will feature official #F1Esports teams for the first time, as Ferrari join up pic.twitter.com/dMrVweIzHK