managed to defend his lead in the F1 Esports Pro Series. Red Bull also showed strong performances.
Photo credit: Red Bull/Codemasters (F1 2020)
The F1 Esports Pro Series had three exciting races to offer on Wednesday and Thursday. The Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen Esports championship contender Jarno Opmeer managed to defend his lead in the standings, but Red Bull Racing Esports Team drivers Frede Rasmussen and Marcel Kiefer proved in Zandvoort, Montreal and Spielberg, that they also have great ambitions.
Three podium finishes for Opmeer and Red Bull
Jarno Opmeer has had a fantastic season so far. He made it onto the podium in every race and continued this streak on Wednesday and Thursday. In Zandvoort, the Dutchman almost managed to get his third victory of the season, but Frederik Rasmussen was the one to overtake him late in the race and win it, while his team-mate Marcel Kiefer finished third.
On the virtual Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, Opmeer seemed unstoppable. With a medium-soft tire strategy, the Alfa Romeo driver fought his way from P10 to the head of the field. Due to an in-game issue, Opmeer collided with defending champion David Tonizza on his way to victory, but only the Ferrari driver had to deal with bad consequences. After the race, it was clarified that Opmeer could not see Tonizza’s car during the accident, so the Italian once again had bad luck with the technology.
The most dramatic moment in F1 Esports history 😱🤯💥#F1Esports 🎮 #F1 pic.twitter.com/UJVJ2dZTFn
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 4, 2020
On Thursday, the drivers faced off in Spielberg. The Red Bull Ring is the home track for Red Bull drivers Marcel Kiefer and Frederik Rasmussen. The duo managed to get the early lead and then worked together to stay at the top and to prevent another Opmeer catch up victory with the medium-soft strategy. In the end, the German Marcel Kiefer won his first race in the Pro Series, while his Danish teammate took the second place. Opmeer finished third.
YES BOYS!! FIRST WIN FOR THE TEAM! What a race at our home track – @G2Frede is the sexiest guy on earth. For me it was the most perfect Team execution, you would be baffled by the Team Radio coordination.
— Marcel Kiefer (@marcelkiefer_) November 5, 2020
The first 1-2 of many more to come 👐 pic.twitter.com/3fpVHdc8Af
After six out of twelve races, Jarno Opmeer still leads the standings with 123 points under his belt. Marcel Kiefer (93 points) and Frederik Rasmussen (89 points) are his strongest competitors.
Former champions Tonizza and Leigh with problems
Looking back at the collision in Montreal and just one point from three races, defending champion David Tonizza had to deal with a rough week. The Italian currently sits at 26 points after the first half of the F1 Esports Pro Series and has to adjust his goals for the season.
2017 and 2018 champion Brendon Leigh managed to finish sixth in Zandvoort for Mercedes AMG Petronas Esports Team, which gained him eight additional points. In Montreal and Spielberg however, Leigh was not able to reach the top ten. He now is even in the standings with Tonizza (26 points) and just like the Italian, probably will not be able to contest for another championship this year.
Will the Red Bulls stop Opmeer’s incredible run? Tell us on Twitter at @Overtake_gg!
