Formula 1 gets official e-sports championship

The Formula 1 organization and Codemasters have announced the Formula 1 Esports Series. Qualifying will start in September and the finals will take place in Abu Dhabi at the end of November, during the final race weekend of the F1 season.

The esports championship will use the 2017 F1 game, which will be released by Codemasters on August 25. According to the Formula 1 Esports Series website, it will soon be possible to register and the online qualifiers will take place from September 4. Players on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One can participate.

Qualifying takes place on the Monza and Suzuka circuits. According to the description, these are ‘two unique scenarios’ in which the skills of participants are tested. A total of 40 players can qualify for the semi-final, which takes place on October 10 in London at the Gfinity eSports Arena. That event will be broadcast live and the top 20 riders will qualify for the final.

During the final race weekend of the 2017 Formula 1 season, which takes place on November 24 and 25, the finalists will be flown in to Abu Dhabi to compete for the title for two days. The winner of the Esports Series will be added as a driver to F1 2018 by Codemasters. No cash prizes have yet been announced.