The ORL x FuturEsports Nations Cup is coming to its conclusion, but Spain, Italy and Hungary are all still in the fight.
Photo credit: Jacob Hancox / Codemasters
After five weeks of hard-fought competition, the ORL and FuturEsports Nations Cup is drawing to its conclusion on Sunday, 6 June. The competition has been taking F1 2020 Esports in a new direction by pitting nation-based teams up against one another with a unique format. As things stand, Team Spain heads into the final round with the lead, but let’s see how they got there.
The Story so Far
Several teams have chalked up wins in the four point-scoring events which have taken place so far. Initially, it seemed as though Team Netherlands with Jarno Opmeer at the helm would be one of the leading candidates for the overall victory, but the team ended up dropping out of the event after the first three events.
This left Team Hungary in a very solid position. Team leader Daniel Bereznay taking multiple wins and podiums along with a win on home turf for Bence Szabó-Kónyi put them at the top of the pile going in to last week’s event, with the Spanish and Italian teams looking the most threatening.
It’s time to be back on @Formula1game one last time in 2020.@team_orl has organized the world cup of F1 and I’m very happy to join with my team mate for team ITALY!@AlessioDiCapua6 @VSR_domi @G17_Dario #daicazzoboys pic.twitter.com/d4rN8cbsEu
— Daniele Haddad (@DanieleHaddad92) April 27, 2021
However, fates shifted once more when the Spanish duo of Mercedes AMG Petronas Esports Team hotshot Dani Moreno and Alvaro Carreton racked up a huge tally of points over the course of the three races. Both secured wins on track, with Moreno taking a podium at all three races.
Unfortunately for Carretón, his win in Brazil was stripped from him due to a pit lane infringement, making this the third race win that the Spaniard has lost due to post-race penalties. Nevertheless, the Spanish hold the championship lead with 258 points, with both Italy and Hungary hot on their heels with 244 apiece.
The Finale
Spain, Italy, and Hungary will certainly be the three teams to watch in the final event. It will be interesting to see whether the Hungarians and Italians stick to their policy of rotating drivers between races, or whether each team will follow the Spanish model of consistently running the same two drivers in each and every race. After all, Team Spain’s success is palpable.
Outside the big three teams, keep an eye out for strong performances from Piotr Stachulec of Poland, who looked racy last time out, as well as from Team Europe’s Pablo Joglar and Ruben Vallejo.
The final three races will take place at Circuit Paul Ricard in France, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain, and finally the Circuit of the Americas in the USA. All three races will be 25% Grand Prix distance, and the second race in Spain will feature a reverse grid comprised of the top fifteen finishers in France.
If you want to catch the action, head on over to the ORL YouTube channel at 7PM CET on Sunday to find out which is the fastest nation on F1 2020.
Which team do you think will claim victory in the Nations Cup? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
