Future of F1 Esports series uncertain after second round postponed
The future of Formula 1's official esports series has been thrown into doubt following the cancellation of this weekend's round.
The F1 Sim Racing Championship 2023 sees 20 drivers competing on the official Formula 1 racing game, F1 23 by Electronic Arts. The 10 Formula 1 teams are officially represented, but the cars are configured to provide equal performance in order to emphasize the skills of the drivers.
The series, formerly known as F1 Esports Series Pro Championship, is now in its seventh season of competition. However, it is experiencing a difficult start to the season since its rebranding.
Following disruptions during last month’s opening event, a Formula 1 spokesperson confirmed that its second round this weekend has been postponed, but did not indicate when it will take place.
« Formula 1 can confirm that the second event of the F1 Sim Racing World Championship 2023 has been postponed. F1 will continue to work with esports teams and partners and provide a new update in due course ».
While previous seasons have benefited from substantial promotion and marketing efforts from Formula 1 and the teams, this year’s opening round of the championship in Stockholm, the first live in-person event since the beginning of the pandemic, was not made public in advance. Initially planned for a two-race event, the scheduled opening race on Friday, November 24th was canceled. The season opener took place the following evening, with esports driver Thomas Ronhaar from Alfa Romeo claiming victory.
The second round of the championship was supposed to take place this weekend, but no official details have been given regarding the location of the event or the circuits on which the races would take place.
In a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, esports driver Marcel Kiefer from Williams, winner of several races in the simracing series, expressed his frustration at the beginning of the season. « What is happening behind the scenes is quite devastating for all the drivers and team members who work so hard for all of this to happen ».
« It sucks and I hope it changes very soon, because there was a lot of enthusiasm after the first round, from all the drivers, from all the teams. They deserve a good championship. The fans deserve a real fight for the championship. I’m sure it will eventually be resolved. I don’t know when, but I think no one knows ».
