Formula 1 has announced that it is entering the eSports arena, with a new virtual ‘world championship’ starting in September 2017.
The competition will see fans and gamers battle through three stages – starting with qualification events in September to determine the 40 quickest drivers.
They will progress through to live semi-final events, which will be hosted at the Gfinity Arena in London on the 10-11 October.
The top 10 compete on the final, which will take place at Yas Marina as part of the 2017 F1 finale in Abu Dhabi on the 24-25 November.
The last event will feature three races, with the first Formula 1 eSports World Champion being crowned on the same day as F1’s last race of the year.
F1 has partnered up with Codemasters, developers of the current F1 games, and Gfinity – world leaders in eSports events – for the world championship.
The move highlights F1’s new “long-term investment” in eSports and gaming, and the new championship launches alongside the F1 2017 game (released on August 25th).
This year’s title winner will automatically qualify for a semi-final spot in the 2018 championship, wins a trip to an F1 race next year and will be featured as a character in the 2018 F1 game.
“This launch presents an amazing opportunity for our business: strategically and in the way we engage fans,” said F1’s managing director, commercial operations, Sean Bratches.
“First, it’s a growing category with tremendous fan engagement that we’re entering in a big way; and we are proud to have Codemasters and Gfinity joining us on this ride.
“Of course, as we do in Formula 1, we’ll continue to evolve and innovate in the way we run this virtual counterpart to the F1 Championship to ensure we provide the most exciting and enjoyable experience we can for our fans.”
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