Formula 1 has confirmed plans for the 2018 edition of its Esports series.
Formula 1 ventured into the world of Esports in 2017, with Briton Brendon Leigh emerging victorious in a finale held alongside the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit last November.
For 2018, nine of the 10 teams on the grid (all bar Ferrari) will field their own Esports team in order to determine the champion.
Four qualifying events will be held on the official F1 2017 game, with players able to use the Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC consoles.
At the end of the qualifying section, which runs from April to July, 40 competitors will progress through to a Pro Draft, where they will be picked by the respective F1 Esports teams.
From September, three live events – set to be held in London – will determine the outcome of the 2018 series, with the victor in line for a $200,000 prize.
“The qualifying stage is made up of four rounds,” explained Julian Tan, Head of Digital Growth & Esports at Formula 1.
“These are online and start with a specific challenge for drivers to attempt. You race against the computer online and then you log your time. This will be followed by a race for the fastest drivers from the challenge and that will determine nine drivers who will advance per round.
“There are nine because we have three platforms – Xbox, PS4 and PC, so three drivers from each platform.
“By the time the qualifying rounds are done we will have 36 drivers, 9 drivers per round and 4 qualifying rounds, who will go to the Pro Draft.
“We're then going to give an opportunity to the top three from last year to automatically advance to the Pro Draft, and finally we will have a minimum of one wild card to make up 40 drivers.”
Tan explained that the 40 who make it through to the Pro Draft “will take part in a number of challenges, not just in racing, as we established when talking to the teams it's not just about finding the fastest drivers but people who have a broad range of skills.”
It is the first time that Formula 1 squads have collectively participated in Esports, and a Teams' title will also be up for grabs, alongside the Drivers' crown.
The official entrants into the 2018 F1 Esports series are: Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport, Red Bull Racing, Hype Energy eForce India, Williams F1 Esports Team, Renault Sport Team Vitality, Haas F1 Esports Team, McLaren, Toro Rosso and Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team.
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