$750,000 world championship features twelve iconic F1 circuits.
Photo credit: Codemasters
The Formula 1 Esports Series by Aramco is taking shape: the exact dates for the virtual Formula 1 world championship have been announced and will take pros and fans to twelve iconic F1 circuits. The $750,000-series will run from October until December in four events, featuring ten renowned F1 Esports teams such as Renault Vitality, Williams Esports and Red Bull Racing Esports Team.
Each of the events will consist of three races. The race length will boast 35% of a full F1 competition as opposed to last year’s 25%. Among the circuits featured in the Pro Series are frequently played tracks like Silverstone, Spa and Interlagos. However, the 2020 edition also features the Dutch Zandvoort Circuit which last staged an F1 event in 1985 and the notorious Hanoi Street circuit.
The 2020 F1 Esports Pro Draft is just around the corner!
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 18, 2020
Once our racers are selected on Thursday August 27, this is when and where they’ll be racing in the Pro Series 🗓#F1Esports 🎮 #F1 pic.twitter.com/6jRqhJeMDZ
Kick-off for the Pro Series will be October 14 with races at Bahrain International Circuit and Hanoi. The event concludes on December 10 with the event at the popular Interlagos track in Brazil. The event will be broadcasted live from the Gfinity Esports Arena in London, although the players and teams will take part remotely due to pandemic safety regulations.
The full schedule
| Circuit | Date |
| Bahrain International Circuit | October 14 |
|---|---|
| Hanoi Street Circuit, Vietnam | October 14 |
| Shanghai International Circuit, China | October 15 |
| Circuit Zandvoort, Netherlands | November 4 |
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Canada | November 4 |
| Red Bull Ring, Austria | November 5 |
| Silverstone Circuit, UK | November 18 |
| Circuit of Spa-Franchorchamps, Belgium | November 18 |
| Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy | November 19 |
| Suzuka Circuit, Japan | December 9 |
| Mexico City Circuit | December 9 |
| Interlagos, Brazil | December 10 |
Who’s going to compete?
The racers who are going to compete for the teams have not been revealed yet. However, the ten teams are going to present their three-person rosters on August 27 in the Pro Draft Reveal Show. Each team is required to draft at least one driver from a pool of 45 qualified competitors. The Pro Draft qualifiers proved their worth in the 2019 Challenger Series, Play-Offs, Time Trials. On top of that, released drivers from last year’s Pro Series and the two best racers from the F1 Esports Series China Championship.
The drafted players join the esports teams for the upcoming season and will compete with the best of the best. While the teams will surely be happy to have new players at their disposal, some are certainly going to nominate their experienced veterans as well. Ferrari Esports driver and Formula 1 2019 World Champion David Tonizza is very likely to take part in the competition and try and defend his title.
