The F1 Esports Pro Exhibition has its first contestants from the Challengers series. After ten rounds and a neck-and-neck finale, the six fastest drivers on PlayStation 4 were determined.
Photo credit: Codemasters / Formula 1 Game Twitter
Six of the fastest PlayStation 4 drivers claimed their slot in the F1 Esports Pro Exhibition this Tuesday. The PS4 Challengers came to an end after ten rounds, where the participants had the chance to collect points along the way.
The F1 Esports Series Challengers is the gateway to the F1 Esports Pro Exhibition where the official F1 teams will pick the drivers to represent their sim racing division in the 2021 Pro Championship. The Challengers kicked off in December 2020 and consisted of 10 rounds, being split into PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC divisions. After these 10 rounds, the top six drivers from each platform qualify for the Pro Exhibition and get a chance to be signed by an F1 team. For both Xbox One and PC, there are still two rounds outstanding.
This Pro Exhibition is set to take place on 27 May, replacing the Pro Draft from previous seasons. The top six from the Challengers series will meet the unsigned drivers from 2020, and the talents from the new Women’s Wildcard qualifier. All contestants then have to compete against each other and perform at their best to impress the F1 Esports teams.
These are the top six PS4 drivers
- 1st: Valentin Brüffer 🇩🇪
- 2nd: Thijmen Schütte 🇳🇱
- 3rd: Domenico Lovece 🇮🇹
- 4th: Matthijs van Erven 🇳🇱
- 5th: Duncan Hofland 🇳🇱
- 6th: Dario Iemmulo 🇮🇹
🥁🥁🥁🥁
— Formula 1® Game (@Formula1game) April 27, 2021
And now… the final #F1Esports PS4 Challengers standings!
Huge congratulations to the top 6 – you’re going through to the Pro Exhibition! 👇
1⃣ @Vasterracer
2⃣ @CRG_Thijmen
3⃣ @VSR_domi
4⃣ @CRG_Matthijs
5⃣ @VSR_Duncan
6⃣ @G17_Dario
👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/K4yOgCS1H2
PS4 Challengers peak in tight finale
German esports racer Valentin Brüffer emerged as champion in the PS4 Challengers division with a lead of only one point ahead of the runner-up. The final two of the ten rounds took place on Tuseday, with Circuit of The Americas in Texas, USA and Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi hosting the final showdown.
16-year-old Brüffer took the pole position in COTA, but eventually finished in fourth place in the race. Dutch talent Thijmen Schütte managed to emerge in first place as he secured an early lead. In the last race, Brüffer then was able to keep his top spot and claim the victory. This marked the fourth victory for him over the course of the ten Challengers rounds.
Brüffer earned 141 points in total, which was enough to secure him first place in the overall standings. He and Schütte were neck-and-neck throughout the series, with the Dutchman finally finishing second overall with 140 points – only one point behind. Italian Domenico Lovece completed the podium with a total of 130 points.
🏁 He waited until the last moment… the FINAL #F1Esports PS4 Challengers win goes to @Vasterracer 😲
— Formula 1® Game (@Formula1game) April 27, 2021
We’ll need to get our calculators out to work out those top 6 standings 🔢
Keep it here to find out who’s grabbing those Pro Exhibition places 👀
➡️ https://t.co/iWQxK7azJw pic.twitter.com/j64GFwcNBJ
Which driver has impressed you the most so far? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!