The newly-renamed F1 Sim Racing World Championship finally got underway on November 25th. Dutch superstar Thomas Ronhaar took the flag first in a virtual Bahrain, crowning him the inaugural victor of the 2023/24 F1 Sim Racing World Championship.
Image credit: Codemasters / EA Sports
UPDATE 27/11/2023
Thomas Ronhaar was accused of being involved in a cheating scandal in 2022. Ronhaar proved his accusers and doubters wrong with a very visible message after the race.
With very few promises followed through on and a huge target on their back, F1 Sim Racing World Championship has a lot to prove and, luckily for them, the time to do it. Whilst the launch of the newly renamed championship was a measured disaster, the rest of the season has the potential to become something exciting.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE 24/11/2023
After promises were made and quiet delays followed, the drivers and teams of F1 Sim Racing (formerly F1 Esports) are at DreamHack Winter in Jönköping, Sweden. They were set to compete in the first two rounds of the 2023-24 season, with races on the Bahrain and Silverstone circuits.
However, it would seem that the event is on the brink of cancellation. Apparent disputes between F1 and organisers ESL have left the competitors twiddling their thumbs, with the racing supposedly not even taking place this weekend.
The lack of any formal announcement had people worried. Various teams put out press releases confirming that 24 November was set to be the start of the season. But even after everyone has incurred the travel expenses and they are now all there, F1 Esports looks to have spun off on the formation lap.
Allegedly, there are contract disputes. We cannot claim to know what they are about yet, though.
According to information available to OverTake, the F1 Sim Racing 2023 opening race on November 24 will not take place. Meanwhile, uncertainty still surrounds the rest of the weekend.
For those who are already in Sweden, hopefully things will be resolved. But even so, this is not a good look for F1 and for competitive sim racing esports as a whole.
What do you think will happen with F1 Sim Racing? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
Image credit: Codemasters / EA Sports
UPDATE 27/11/2023
Disorganisation and Redemption
After the chaos leading up to F1 Sim Racing’s first World Championship round, the dust is finally starting to settle. Despite the event taking place after all, what has the last week done for F1 Sim Racing’s reputation?Thomas Ronhaar was accused of being involved in a cheating scandal in 2022. Ronhaar proved his accusers and doubters wrong with a very visible message after the race.
The Future of F1 Sim Racing
The official round-up email sent out to contributors and attendees at the event, Dreamhack Winter in Jönköping, failed to even mention the presence of F1 Sim Racing. This could imply that the event was always going to be behind schedule and completely unfinished. All post-event marketing fails to include details of F1 Sim Racing, implying the deadlines for publication in all post-event media were missed by F1 Sim Racing.With very few promises followed through on and a huge target on their back, F1 Sim Racing World Championship has a lot to prove and, luckily for them, the time to do it. Whilst the launch of the newly renamed championship was a measured disaster, the rest of the season has the potential to become something exciting.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE 24/11/2023
After promises were made and quiet delays followed, the drivers and teams of F1 Sim Racing (formerly F1 Esports) are at DreamHack Winter in Jönköping, Sweden. They were set to compete in the first two rounds of the 2023-24 season, with races on the Bahrain and Silverstone circuits.
However, it would seem that the event is on the brink of cancellation. Apparent disputes between F1 and organisers ESL have left the competitors twiddling their thumbs, with the racing supposedly not even taking place this weekend.
The lack of any formal announcement had people worried. Various teams put out press releases confirming that 24 November was set to be the start of the season. But even after everyone has incurred the travel expenses and they are now all there, F1 Esports looks to have spun off on the formation lap.
What Do We Know?
There are various social media posts talking about what is happening. We know frighteningly little, and can only go off of what has been communicated by third-party sources.Allegedly, there are contract disputes. We cannot claim to know what they are about yet, though.
Marcel Kiefer tweeted about the situation. Image credit: @marcelkiefer_ on Twitter
One driver unafraid by repercussions of speaking out was Mercedes’ Marcel Kiefer. In a damning indictment, the 3-time F1 Esports race winner was very vocal in his displeasure at the situation. He also acknowledged the possibility of consequences for posting the Tweet.
According to information available to OverTake, the F1 Sim Racing 2023 opening race on November 24 will not take place. Meanwhile, uncertainty still surrounds the rest of the weekend.
F1 Sim Racing 2023: What Will Happen?
According to some potentially unreliable sources, a decision will be taken tonight (November 24) as to what will happen at DreamHack Winter. The organisers are in communication with F1, and once information becomes available, we will update this article.For those who are already in Sweden, hopefully things will be resolved. But even so, this is not a good look for F1 and for competitive sim racing esports as a whole.
What do you think will happen with F1 Sim Racing? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
