The F1 Esports Pro Exhibition will showcase talent live this Thursday

30 drivers from the F1 Esports Challengers, the F1 Esports Series China Championship, the F1 Esports Women’s Wildcard and the DHL Time Trial will compete in front of the team managers and staff of the F1 Pro Esports team later this week. This is her chance to impress in the hopes of being selected by a squad for the F1 Pro Esports Championship later in the year.

Eighteen drivers advanced from the F1 Esports Challengers series to the Pro Exhibition, six from each platform on PS4, PC and Xbox One. Nine riders qualified for the DHL time trial, three from each platform, two from the China Championship, while the Women’s Wildcard for 2021 was added.

In previous years, the F1 Esports Pro Draft was used as the driver selection process. The first personal opportunity for drivers to prove themselves was a series of test races that were held privately. It also consisted of other assessments such as interviews, fitness tests and even track knowledge or F1 pit stop tests. The F1 Esports teams then took turns choosing from the available drivers during a live streaming event.

This time, after a series of in-game evaluations with F1 2020 during the Pro exhibition, there will be a closed-door negotiation phase where teams will be able to sign drivers from the participants.

In the last F1 Pro Esports season, Jarno Opmeer and Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen F1 Esports won the drivers ‘championship ahead of the two Red Bull team-mates Frederik Rasmussen and Marcel Kiefer – Red Bull took the teams’ title. In the off-season, Rasmussen won the Formula E: Accelerate series and won a prize drive for a real Formula E car.

“The goals [for 2021] are the same as last year – to win both titles. Unfortunately, the drivers’ championship didn’t quite work out in 2020, but the team championship is still the top priority. Of course I’m still aiming for both titles and if everything goes according to plan I want to win them, ”said Kiefer when we spoke to him recently.

It was announced in January that Opmeer will join the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team alongside Dani Moreno and Bono Huis. Meanwhile, 2017 and 2018 champion Brendon Leigh and 2019 champion David Tonizza are at Ferrari Esports for 2021. In addition, Romain Grosjean’s R8G Esports team has taken over the management of the Hass F1 Esports team.

The esports team of each F1 team consists of three drivers. In the past this meant two main drivers and a reserve. However, driver rotation is allowed so that a team can view all three drivers as the same. Even if a team has already announced two drivers, it must select at least a third from the pro exhibition.

We expect the F1 Pro Esports series to start this October and it has been confirmed that it will use the upcoming F1 2021 game. The format for this week’s event includes a dry ghost race (collisions off), a wet ghost race, and a best-of-three co-head-to-head qualifying.

“We’re thrilled that so many people are enjoying and engaging in the F1 game as the F1 Esports Series continues to break records with nearly half a million qualifiers for this year’s campaign. We can hardly wait to see the talent in the pro exhibition and are looking forward to the pro championship in the course of the year, which could be the most exciting so far, ”enthused Julian Tan, Head of Digital Business Initiatives and Esports at Formula 1 .

We are currently viewing the F1 Esports Pro exhibition, which will be held on Thursday, May 27th at 7:00 p.m. CET live from the Gfinity Arena in London via the official Formula 1 channels YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and Huya (China) is transferred.