eSports and Formula1

“Esports are a powerful driver of the success of Formula 1 among young people”, Stefano Domenicali, the newly appointed CEO of Liberty Media, the American company that organizes the World Championship, told TCCT.

For the Formula 1 esports grand finale, the virtual world meets the real one with the drivers lined up for the final challenge. For them, the real drivers and races are the model to follow.

Some 25 years ago, Sony introduced the first Formula 1 video game. Other similar games had already been on the market since the 1980s. Was this destined to signal the end of real-world racing? Far from it: there are numerous racing platforms spread out across the world. The official Formula 1 platform even includes the official teams with their eRacers. Those who go to the races have been seamlessly swapping virtual with reality for a long time, and everything is perfect.

From the small Formula 1 steering wheel to the classic wooden Nardi, the gearbox and clutch of the TCCT eClassic simulators. The spirit of the race is the same, but the reality is the thrilling and romantic one of yesteryear.

So why doesn’t the real-world Formula 1 have anything to fear from this phenomenon? For a simple yet very profound reason: those who drive virtually identify themselves as real drivers and want to see how they drive, where they overtake on this or that track, and how they manage the various parameters of their cars, starting from the tires. The world of Grand Prix inspires their own, the one they reproduce with similar talent and commitment. Pilots are their role models. This applies to anyone who likes to sit behind a steering wheel and drive, alone or with virtual opponents, or in real races, with the secret goal of being the best.

The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale - here in prototype version driving hard on the Nürburgring - will be one of the cars to be driven in the TCCT eClassic program.

By many accounts, the possibility of seeing single-seater virtual eRacers battling it out against Grand Prix professionals on live television is not too far away. An exciting and very powerful promotional tool for a sport like Formula 1, which competes all over the world nine months out of twelve.

Who wouldn’t want to drive the Ferrari 250 GTO? Among the various models available, the eClassic program also offers the famous icon from Maranello.

The Key Yearbook 2020, published by TCCT, introduces the eClassic program which features cars from the 50s, 60s and 70s on the tracks of those times. An exciting initiative that will also attract young people to the world of Classic cars and Collecting.

The cover image of the first official Formula 1 game in 1996. 25 years have passed and today it’s almost impossible to distinguish virtual from reality.

Driving hard in the simulators by Pininfarina and Zagato to attract even more young people to the magical world of classics.