Mercedes has joined the virtual gaming world by creating their own Esports programme which will compete in the 2018 F1 Esports Series in October and November.
The Mercedes AMG Petronas Esports team has recruited four drivers who will join the famous Silver Arrows. Brandon Leigh, 2017 F1 Esports champion will link up with Harry Jacks, a multiple league winner.
Also joining the team is Patryk Krutyi from Poland, winner of four league titles in his home country and the Hungarian Dani Bereznay, who was selected by the team in the F1 Esports Pro Draft a few weeks ago.
The team will be run out of the F1 team factory in Brackley, Northamptonshire and will use the same building as the F1 simulator where the race drivers hone their own skills in preparation for each race.
The new facility will enable the gamers to work on their gaming performance on multiple platforms and further improve their skills. Construction of this new training centre is expected to commence in the following weeks.
The esports programme has also aimed to focus on the human performance aspect as part of their development and will give the Esports team members access to the on-site Performance Centre covering the core areas of nutrition, physical conditioning and wellbeing that support the gamers in reaching their full potential.
Nine out of the 10 teams in the Formula 1 paddock, with the exception of Ferrari, have signed up for the F1 Esports series. 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.
