F1 Esports: The Favorites for the Title

David Tonizza: Obviously, the current champion is the big favorite. In his first season in the top category of sim racing, the Italian impressed everyone by winning the first race of 2019 in Bahrain. The Ferrari driver managed to secure two more victories in China and Austria.

Having scored all the points for Scuderia in 2019, Tonizza is now supported by the very talented Enzo Bonito, who will certainly push him more than his two previous teammates. If he can be as consistent as last year, the Italian might just clinch a second crown, thus equaling Brendon Leigh, winner of the first two seasons of the F1 Esports Series.

Jarno Opmeer and Daniel Bereznay

Both Alfa Romeo drivers, the Dutchman and the Hungarian, showed impressive performances last year by finishing the season in 3rd and 4th place, respectively. This season, the two drivers will be teammates in one of the biggest sim racing teams, Veloce.

The two were not just fast last year. Indeed, Jarno Opmeer is the current leader of the ORL, one of the largest F1 2020 leagues featuring the best players. The Dutchman has only been defeated a few times, and if he manages to replicate this pace for the F1 Esports, he will be very hard to beat. After being 17th in Bahrain at the ORL, he still managed to come back at the end of the race to secure the victory.

The biggest threat to Jarno Opmeer could be Dani Bereznay, who showed very good pace during the F1 Esports exhibition races. The Hungarian is probably one of the best in terms of car setup, which will give him a definite advantage this season. In addition to the technical side, the Alfa Romeo driver has one of the best top speeds.

In summary, Alfa Romeo is very likely the favorite for the title in 2020, but which other team can compete with it?

Frédérik Rasmussen and Marcel Kiefer

Alfa Romeo is not the only team with two masters behind the wheel. This season, Red Bull also features Frederik Rasmussen who, like Sebastian Vettel in 2013, is untouchable once he takes the lead in a race. The Dane has won 3 races this season, finishing second in the championship and helping the Austrian team secure the title along with the $500,000 prize that accompanies the trophy. Rasmussen is often considered a robot due to the absolute calmness he displays and his extremely precise driving style with almost no unnecessary steering inputs.

On the other hand, Marcel Kiefer performed miracles in 2019 with Racing Point while his teammates faced a bit more difficulties. By miracles, we mean a beautiful 6th place in the driver championship with 2 podiums to his name, including a victory at Silverstone achieved thanks to a magnificent overtake at Copse on his current teammate. The German was one of the fastest drivers during exhibition races.

A few special mentions

– Dani Moreno: Pilote le plus rapide sur PS4 et a remporté les deux dernières courses de l’ORL face à Jarno Opmeer notamment

– Nicolas Longuet: Un des deux français sur la grille, le pilote Renault était parvenu à gagner une course dès sa première tentative lors des F1 Esports à Monza. Une performance qui en dit long sur son talent.

-Brendon Leigh: N’oublions pas le seul double champion de la compétition qui après une saison sans titre va tout donner pour revenir au sommet. Il sera toujours accompagné par Mercedes pour la troisième saison consécutive.