Points in qualifying? Part-reversed grid? We explain the format of the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup.
Reading time: 4 minutes
The Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup has started. The fight for a prize pool of $200,000 has begun and the first championship points have already been awarded. But how does the system work? How much points are being granted in which race and how does the grid form? You’ll find all the answers here.
Line-up and Calendar
More than 5,000 esports racers took part in the qualifying process for the 2020 Supercup. Only 20 of them were able to earn a spot in the series. One of them is F1 driver Max Verstappen, who will race for Team Redline.
The 20 qualifiers are joined by a field of another 20 drivers. Regular viewers should recognize their names since it’s the top 20 of the 2019 season coming back to the competition. Joshua K. Rogers will try to defend his title, but it’s going to be a super tough task against drivers like Max Benecke, Martin Krönke or Mack Bakkum.
The series consists of ten events, which will take place at some of the most popular circuits in the world, such as Nürburgring Nordschleife or Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Last year, we saw an amazing finale race at Monza, and we hope the final event will be just as exciting.
While all 40 drivers compete under the flag of their racing teams, there is no team championship in the Supercup. It’s just about the best driver winning the championship by having the most points after ten events. Now, let’s have a look at how to earn these.
Free Practice & Qualifying
As always in racing, each of the ten events is set to have a free practice first, which will take 20 minutes. After that it’s time to earn the first championship points.
Yes, in this competition, the top five drivers of the qualifying are rewarded with points already. But they also have to take a slight disadvantage in return.
The qualifying sets the starting grid for the sprint race, which is the first of two races of each event. While places 9 to 40 line up in order of their qualifying times, places one to eight will be reversed to build up more excitement. That means the driver with the fastest time will start on eighth place.
The fastest drivers of the qualifying, who already gathered some points, will have to work their way through their opponents. Drivers who barely missed their first points in qualifying start in the very first places and have a shot at making big points in the first race.
Sprint Race
In the sprint race, it’s all about pace and edging out your opponents. The race is just fifteen minutes long, so drivers with a bad starting place will have to push to the maximum.
The sprint race is not only important because of the points awarded, but also because its result defines the starting grid for the main race. There will be no reversed grid this time, so the winner of the sprint race will also start from pole position in the final race of the event.
Main Race
This is it. The highlight of the weekend. The main race. After we’ve seen the drivers going for hot laps in qualifying and a short stint in the sprint race, this one demands each racer’s best.
In the 30-minute main race, the competitors need to keep their concentration up in every single second. Also, factors like attrition of tires and the car become way more important.
This race holds most points for the championship with double the amount of the sprint race. The performance in the endurance race will either make or break your entire race weekend.
When and where to watch
Whatever you’re doing on your next weekends, make sure to have some free time on Saturdays. This is the day of the Porsche Esports Supercup and you don’t want to miss out on any of these events.
Starting time for the free practice is 14:45 UK Time. You can watch the races on the Porsche YouTube channel or on Twitch.
Teaser source: Porsche
