F1 Esports Needs To Change

Jeffrey Hrunka - Staff Writer

Photo Credit: F1

Over the last couple of years, Formula One esports has had its fair share of controversy. The series, which rose to prominence during the coronavirus pandemic, was halted three years later ahead of the 2023-24 Formula One Sim Racing World Championship. Now that it’s back, there are countless improvements that can be made to grow the series into a premier esports division.

For many fans, esports is a way to get the racing fix when there isn’t physical racing to watch. F1 esports is the only professional virtual open-wheel series to watch while the NTT Indycar Series and Formula 1 shift into their respective offseasons (aside from the 2023-24 season due to delays).  

However, fans who watch these races struggle with the season's timeline and how the series is advertised to those watching online. When you look at one of the series' direct competitors, the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, it’s clear that Formula One esports isn’t pulling out the stops to get the series exposure. Here’s what can be done.

Change #1: The Schedule

An aspect of F1 Esports that frustrates me is that they hold four races over two days per month. If a fan has one busy weekend, they miss a quarter of the schedule. If they stretch out the season to make it realistic to the Formula 1 schedule, fans can watch it along with the series and get invested weekly.

Every race in the Coca-Cola iRacing Series starts promptly on Tuesdays at 9:00 pm EST. This consistent schedule lets people associate the day with the series even if they don’t follow it in-depth, encouraging fans to tune in when they’re free on those nights, because they can count on a race being on.

Change #2: Bring Personality Back To The Drivers

Fans tune into esports to watch their favorite players compete against others in a video game they enjoy. When you have drivers racing in a professional studio, it takes the personality out of the driver. 

In the Coke Series, drivers stream races from their point of view in front of their fans. This leads to an unfiltered perspective of driver reactions, where fans watch explanations of incidents, discussions of strategies, and raw emotions they don’t get to see on a professional broadcast. Like any sports series, fans tune in to watch their favorite athletes compete, not for the series itself.

F1 esports champions Jarno Opmeer and Lucas Blakeley are two of the most popular sim racers in the series. No matter what, their fans watch the videos or streams they put out. These dedicated fans will likely be more encouraged to watch these races if their favorite streamers broadcast it, rather than going to a different account to watch the main broadcast of the race. This will increase viewership and increase potential advertising avenues.

However, it's important to preface that you can add tension and hype using a professional studio for the season finale. It makes the action seem formal and will encourage the importance of tuning into the final race. But in the big picture, allowing drivers to stream their own points of view will do nothing but benefit the series.

Change #3: Get Formula 1 Engaged with Esports

The aspect that separates the Coca-Cola iRacing Series from many other online racing disciplines is that professional athletes promote the series. The championship race takes place in Charlotte, N.C., at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and the winner gets the Dale Earnhardt Jr. trophy, which he himself awards to the winner. 

That sentence provides promotional value in itself. NASCAR national series drivers have directly impacted the division as team owners, race analysts and even esports drivers themselves. During the playoffs, the broadcast on-air talent expands to three, with NBC analyst Steve Letarte providing his insights as a former crew chief and professional broadcaster.

While drivers have made one-off appearances during F1 esports events, if the series involves them full-time, it will bridge the gap between the game and its real-life counterpart. Drivers can promote the series on their social media accounts while providing insights on how the game translates to racing in real life.

This will increase the number of people who tune in to see their favorite professional racecar driver and elevate the sport to the same level as Formula 1.

All of these changes have the goal of putting eyes on the series. If you don’t have viewership, there is no way you can keep a series with this production value afloat. F1 esports cannot remain complacent if it wishes to stay relevant.