Motor sport The road ahead

FUTURE of RACING Part I THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION Esports has become so big, not even Formula 1 can ignore it any

hat Formula 1 launched attempting to harness the power of online its bigger and better gaming to boost the sport. It might sound esports series in a modern, but actually it is the oldest trick in part-converted cinema the book: if you can’t beat them, join them. is rather fitting. Both Esports has recently crossed over into the T F1 and Hollywood are mainstream, so much so that it’s now being at crisis points, facing talked of in the same breath as the Olympics. growing threats from It reportedly reaches 320 million people the internet, changing consumption habits worldwide and is predicted to generate and an audience unwilling to be held to £1 billion in revenue by 2020. ransom by overpriced food and drink, tickets, It’s not just traditional sports-based games all-consuming merchandise… And TV deals. such as FIFA or the NFL game Madden that But while cinema fought back with boutique have taken over esports. Fortnite is one of the screens and comfy chairs to attract a new biggest games in the world, reportedly earning audience, F1 is trying to do it with technology. $300 million every month, and routinely fills In an age when youngsters are spending football stadiums in America with spectators more and more time in front of screens, F1 is watching the world’s best gamers competing.

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more but is it really the future of motor sport? WRITER Jack Phillips

It even offered a prize fund of $100 million sim and game, appealing to those who want (£77m) for its esports tournament. more realism from their game, but as a result Gamers are capitalising, too, with their own the independent game will never get close to YouTube channels documenting their exploits the Sony-backed GT Sport and Microsoft- and building them huge followings. They can developed Forza in terms of reach. iRacing then make money from advertising revenue and Assetto Corsa both take things even closer on these videos, supplementing their more to simulator quality, and are the titles of traditional sponsorship deals with gaming choice for the more serious gamer. Including companies. They’re routinely earning Max Verstappen and Aston Martin works seven-figure sums. driver Nicki Thiim. Naturally, racing is an ideal fit. Gran F1 is hoping to capitalise on this booming Turismo and Forza are among the most industry by further developing its own esports popular games worldwide, with leagues and championship for its Codemasters-developed championships cropping up by the day. More F1 2018 game. Last year featured a soft launch, than five million gamers have played GT Sport, a toe-in-water championship that culminated which is less of a simulator, more an arcade in a race between 20 gamers on rigs set up in game. Project CARS blurs that line between the Abu Dhabi paddock in November.

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“Picture grandstand seating to watch Ferrari deciding between Leclerc and Räikkönen”

INVOLVEMENT FOR SEASON TWO HAS championship will comprise three live races in As for the team names, Renault’s partner been ramped up, and it launched with this London in October and November to decide Vitality is an esports specialist with teams in inaugural Esports Series Pro Draft. Similar to the F1 Esports Pro Series champion and a all manner of competitions, Hype is an energy NFL’s draft system, or school PE, teams will $200,000 (£153,000) prize fund will be split. drink that is a long-time Force India partner take it in turns to select drivers from a batch (and counts Bertrand Gachot as its CEO), while of 40 qualifiers. AT HAMMERSMITH’S ODEON CINEMA, THE Shadow is the brand McLaren has set up for F1 said 66,000 gamers entered its open Draft is about to get underway…. A slightly its own esports exploits. qualification phase, which included a series panicked shout asks where number 23 is. The The lights dim, and the small crowd of of tasks and races that whittled down the voice leads to a line of 40 teenagers and family and industry people is instructed to fastest ones – evenly split across PlayStation 4, 20-somethings dressed head-to-toe in black shuffle into the middle seats to make it look Xbox and PC. with the F1 logo emblazoned across their busier. And to clap on demand. Two further spots in the draft were available identical t-shirts. We are not alone. In a sign of how to the fastest two from the ‘Online This is as far from Spa or Silverstone as you important F1 regards this event the ‘VIP area’ Qualification Wildcard’, a time trial event could get – this is more like a TV set. We are is hosting a familiar face or two, both holding combining lap times of Sochi and Barcelona. ushered in, told to be clear of the aisles, and a beer (Heineken, naturally): Chase Carey, F1’s Fabrizio Donoso Delgado and Sven Zürner, the cinema screen has been replaced by a chief executive and Sean Bratches, the sport’s who finished second and third in last year’s fancy staircase that leads up to the names and managing director. Proper drivers have turned championship, completed the field. Among logos like those on the F1 grid but somehow up too: Red Bull racer Max Verstappen and the qualifiers are former junior single-seater different. Renault Sport has gained ‘Vitality’, fellow Junior Team graduate Pierre Gasly are drivers and karters, including Brits Graham Force India has ‘Hype’ and McLaren a here helping their teams pick drivers. Carroll and James Doherty, Swede Kimmy ‘Shadow’, because this esports series is an The insight in the studio is provided by BBC Larsson and Germany-based Cem Bolukbasi. opportunity for teams to partner with new commentator Jack Nicholls, who began his No racing will take place at the draft itself, gamers and sponsors. career commentating on gaming, and Johnny we’re only here to see the choices being made. So too for Liberty: footwear brand New Herbert, who’s all for the change in tack Picture grandstand seating for Ferrari deciding Balance is the series’ ‘presenting partner’. provided by Liberty Media. between Charles Leclerc and Kimi Räikkönen. Drivers will be wearing New Balance shoes “We need to do whatever we can to reach a Once the drivers have been chosen, the and socks. younger audience,” Herbert says later. “The

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F1 bosses said that over 66,000 gamers tried to qualify for the esports series, with only the fastest getting through

games have come a long way from when I was He says: “I can speak for our guys and they’re Svendsen-Cook says. “Everyone is. What else given one to try and learn the Nordschleife all being paid contractual salaries. They are can you do? No one has done it before, we’re and had to complete these little tests to get to legitimate professionals. just having to trust our instinct. It’s super the next section of the circuit.” “Our drivers wouldn’t put themselves in the refreshing. Motor sport is what we love, it’s Nissan, (presumably the game hat as esports drivers, but they create the best thing in the world. This is a refreshing Herbert used) and Sony proved a decade ago fantastic content, they’re engaging and branch-out that we have discovered.” the inherent link between racing games and incredibly relevant to F1 and esports. There real-world racing. Lucas Ordoñez and Jann are two sides to the coin – who is the real BACK AT THE ODEON THE DRIVERS ARE Mardenborough are high-profile products of winner of the F1 Esports championship? The getting jittery while they await their name the Darren Cox-devised GT Academy, which guy who wins the races or the guy who being called to signal their selection. put the world’s best Gran Turismo players engages the millions of followers and viewers? All the pre-show videos were about through a rigorous set of tests to see if they Right now, I don’t know. F1 has in its DNA ex-karter Bolukbasi, originally from Turkey, could cut it in the real world. They could, and performance and success. No one becomes a but he’s not first pick. He’s not even in the both reached the Le Mans podium, even. superstar unless they are winning. first five and he’s on the edge of his seat with That’s not the aim here with the F1 Esports “In the current esports world, ‘Ninja’ his hands covering his face. It’s tense, and Series. The ‘drivers’ will be making a living [27-year-old American Fortnite and Halo gamer we’re all tense for him. from the game and the contracts they are Richard Tyler Blevins] is the best-known star. He’s finally chosen to join Toro Rosso, and signing. The word professional is bandied But is he the best? Perhaps not. So how do you Gasly hands him a branded t-shirt and cap. around on the night, and it transpires they measure success and what are you trying to And he’s finally stopped jittering. will all be exactly that. gain from doing it?” That’s how much this means to them all, There seem to be more questions than there are tears after each pick, floods of them RUPERT SVENDSEN-COOK, A FORMER answers in the world of esports at the at 9pm from some who failed to make the cut. single-seater racer who has co-founded sports moment, and that’s something Veloce is It’s notable that those picked look more like management company Veloce with Jean-Éric embracing – flying in the face of F1’s apparent a racing driver than those who didn’t – each of Vergne – the current Formula E champion – need to know everything all of the time. the competitors that climbed up the racing and Jack Clarke – a former F2 driver – is “We’re not trying to be dramatic when we ladder at least a few rungs got a seat. That’s running the Alfa Romeo Sauber esports team. say we’re making it up as we go along here,” maybe the old world, unable to shake its

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Ex-Formula 3 racer Svendsen-Cook, left, has THE established Veloce and runs the Sauber esports team MOTOR SPORT “We’re not being CROSSWORD dramatic when we MONTHLY CROSSWORD say we’re making COMPETITION NOW AVAILABLE it up as we go IN THE MOTORSPORT APP along here...”

PLUS WIN expectations of what a driver should be. Or can stream it, who can’t. The point of esports OFFICIAL MOTOGP️ maybe they’re just more marketable. and its rapid growth is the fact it’s free to view MERCHANDISE Yet the line between esports and real-world all over the world. So don’t try and control it racing is certainly blurring. Formula E, for or regulate it. I hope motor sport doesn’t get How well do you know your drivers, example, will soon allow fans to ‘race’ against too ‘motor sport’ about it and just lets it do teams and circuits? Test your motor real drivers’ ghost cars – a simulation of recent what it needs to do. sport knowledge with our new races that gamers can join. Races will be “I spoke at the FIA conference in Manila and crossword competition, now re-run online, but this time with gamers. It’s a gave a broad update of the opportunity that is available in the Motor Sport app. remarkable concept that already makes F1’s being presented to them. But the reality is, look rather outdated. with or without them it’s going to happen. With new puzzles added each “I watch esports on my phone and I think The train is going to leave the station, you can month you can demonstrate how ‘that looks like the real thing,” admits either get on it and be involved or don’t. It’s well you know the sport whilst being Svendsen-Cook. “But we need to stop saying still going to go.” in with a chance of winning some that because it just is a thing. The generation It costs just a £200 console, a £50 game and great prizes. that comes through, they don’t think it looks maybe a steering wheel to compete at a high like anything else – it’s just what it is. level in esports, which may also open doors to Solve this month’s crossword and “Before F1 we had horse racing, before that real-world racing should the players want it. A you’ll be entered in to a draw to the horse was a daily necessity in our lives. season of karting these days can cost hundreds win a Kitkase MotoGP️ Execkase That changed with the combustion engine, but of thousands of pounds to be competitive, worth up to £65. The lightweight horse racing still exists and is very, very with no guarantee of progression. luggage comes with high quality prestigious. Millions of people watch it and it’s And in esports, nothing but ability comes embossed MotoGP️ logos and makes hugely valuable. With F1, which has developed into it; age and gender, size and weight are the perfect travel companion. on and on, all of a sudden Formula E has irrelevant. This is as fair as racing can get and arrived because the internal combustion could well reach more people than F1 ever Competition closes at midnight engine might not be the way forward any could on its own. Sunday 11th November 2018 more. Maybe F1 needs to find a bit more of its Back at the Pro Draft, Herbert tries finally to own DNA, but it will always exist. Esports is leave but is held up offering condolences to just another branch of it. those in tears and smiling for photos. “It’s frustrating to see other teams or people “Who’s that?” whispers one fan’s friend to not really embracing it because we know and another, neither probably born when Herbert Download the app now from understand the value of esports,” continues crossed the line for the last time in a Grand Svendsen-Cook. “It’s very important for us not Prix, 18 years ago. to get caught up in the politics or slowed Maybe if Johnny had a YouTube channel www.motorsport down, and not worry about who owns it, who they’d have recognised him. magazine.com/msapp

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