FIA Motorsport Games Preview: Esports
The largest Esports field in the history of the FIA Motorsport Games will go head-to-head for glory across two categories this year, with a total of six medals up for grabs in the heart of Valencia.
A total of 117 drivers representing 70 different countries will compete for honours across both GT and single-seater racing as this year’s contest expands to include FIA Formula 4 alongside the traditional GT3-based digital competition.
The winner of the Esports F4 contest will also be rewarded with a test day in a real-world Formula 4 machine, further emphasising the career pathway Esports competition can represent.
Esports GT will be contested using Assetto Corsa Competizione, the chosen platform for the hugely successful SRO Esports competitions around the world. All GT competitors will handle digital versions of the ultra-successful Mercedes-AMG GT3 around a virtual version of the Circuit Ricardo Tormo.
The new Esports F4 category will be hosted using iRacing, a global leader in online virtual motorsport. These races will take place on the newly updated 2024 Spa-Francorchamps layout.
The competition itself is set to take place within the spectacular City of Arts and Sciences complex in Valencia, where entrants will battle it out using 22 professional-grade simulators provided by Fanatec.
The competition is produced with the support of AK Esports. A series of heats and semi-finals are being used to whittle down the fastest virtual racers to contest a grand final for each category, with the top three in each taking home the medals.
The low barrier to entry and the advancement of technology has led to an explosion of Esports competition around the world across recent years, so much so that it is now considered a professional motorsport, with some of the world’s biggest teams, manufacturers, and championships increasingly becoming involved in Esports.
With low entry costs, near-unrivalled accessibility, and modern gaming systems continuing to blur the lines between virtual and reality all the more, many drivers who have excelled on simulators have since gone on to compete in real-world motorsport.
It is for reasons like this that the FIA Motorsport Games will expand to feature a bigger and better Esports offering for 2024, with ultra-close competition guaranteed.
Alongside heavy hitters from across all four continents, countries such as the Bahamas, Panama, Nepal, Namibia, and Malta – one of the ten smallest countries in the world – will also go for glory.
A host of familiar names return for Esports GT this year, with a huge 57 drivers ready to represent their countries. The races vary in length, from 30 minutes for the quarter finals and last chance, up to one hour for the semi finals and final, and include the jeopardy of a mandatory mid-race pit stop for teams to negotiate.
Last year’s gold medallist, Team United Kingdom, returns, this time with Kieran Prendergast at the controls as he attempts to emulate the success achieved by James Baldwin back in 2022.
Having just missed the podium last time, Team Australia again puts its faith in Philippa Boquida to go one better. A star in online championships around Asia, Boquida will be one to watch.
Team Czech Republic was also in the top five in 2022, and this time brings Fanatec GT World Challenge Esports champion Vojtech Fiala to the Games. Other drivers returning for another shot at the medal table include Ar Muhammad Aleef (Singapore), Sota Muto (Japan), Igor Rodrigues (Brazil) and Naquib Azlan (Malaysia).
It’s also worth watching super-experienced Esports drivers Niklas Houben (Germany) and Grantas Kareckas (Lithuania) who have been winners in SRO’s online championships.
New for this year is the Esports F4 contest, with both the new formula and the introduction of the iRacing platform acting to create a truly open contest. A total of 60 nations have signed up, with a host of new drivers eyeing sprint race success.
One highly decorated entry comes from Team Germany, in the form of Moritz Löhner, who has won Esports titles in DTM, ADAC GT Masters, and the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland. Team Italy brings reigning Italian Formula 4 Esports champion Tommaso Zappalà, while Team Malta puts forward its own national Esports F4 champion, Keith Camilleri.
Team Brazil makes the trip with South American Esports F4 winner Luis Felipe de Sá Tavares, while Martin Kadlečik (Czech Republic) brings experience of the Games, having finished fifth overall in the GT contest in 2022. Nabil Azlan – younger brother of Esports GT racer Naquib – also makes it a family affair for Team Malaysia.
There are also three drivers doing double duty across the GT and F4 contests, with Mark-Anthony Hinkson (Barbados), Yerick Ahmet Robles Rosales (Mexico) and Alex Sargsyan (Armenia) keen to show the transferrable skills between the two categories.
Action for both the Esports GT and F4 contests gets underway at Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences from Thursday, October 24 when practice and qualifying races will be held. The quarter-finals and last-chance races will take place on Friday, ahead of the semi-finals and grand final on Saturday, October 26.
ESPORTS GT
Category Info: Sim racing competition for single drivers using Assetto Corsa Competizione, with medals awarded in the Final.
Format: Multi-stage knockout competition consisting of Quarter-Finals, Last-Chance, Semi-Finals and one Final.
ESPORTS F4
Category Info:Sim racing competition for a single driver using iRacing, with medals awarded in the Final.
Format: Multi-stage knockout competition consisting of Quarter-Finals, Last-Chance, Semi-Finals and one Final.
Note: As at 16 October 2024. Entry lists and timing remain subject to change