Ferrari to Hold Own Esports Championship

Ferrari is holding its own Esports championship taking place between September and November 2020, and offering a place in its sim racing academy as the prize.

Registration for the event starts on August 7th, 2020, and is limited to European residents over the age of 18. According to ESPN, the first season of the championship is limited to European residents but later seasons will likely be opened to more participants starting in 2021. It also cites the current global restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic as the reason behind this limited entry. 

The Championship will be played using Assetto Corsa, and the participants will be using the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, which is exclusive.  Known Ferrari Driver Charles Leclerc, who is both a real and an Esports driver, will also be part of the event, although his role is limited to offering advice for the chosen competitors.

The competition will be divided into two categories: Pro Series and AM Series. Whoever is the fastest overall racer will then be offered the opportunity to join the Ferrari Driver Academy Hublot Esports Team come 2021. 

Ferrari hold Esports Championship – Hublot team

After interested individuals sign up for free starting on August 7th, the next step is to qualify for the AM Series, and this first round of the championship will take place throughout the months of September. There will be a total of four weekly qualifiers in September, out of which a total of 24 AM drivers will compete in the AM Series as a preliminary round, leaving only 12 AM drivers afterward. The winners of this preliminary round will then join the other sim racers invited by Ferrari to the PRO Series, amounting to 12 participants per category, or a total of 24 competitors to race during October. These October races will slash the number of competitors to 12 overall, after which, three races will be held to determine the definitive winner. 

This definitive winner will then be offered to join the FDA Hublot team, and this will likely not be the last Esport championship that Ferrari holds.

The FDA had just recently announced their partnership with the Hublot team back in December of 2019, expanding on the brands’ business relationship that began in 2011 with the Hublot-Ferrari high-quality watches. While Ferrari has not had a Driver’s title since 2007 (won by Kimi Raikkonen), they did win their first F1 Esports Series in 2019 thanks to Italian driver David Tonizza.