Formula One launched the F1 eSports Championship in Shanghai with its first preliminary competition signing-up window from August 7 to September 22. An estimated 8,000 players are expected to join the championship nationwide in the first year.
The championship is based on the game F1 2019. Players can sign up to join the virtual race through north, south, east and mid-west regions.
80 regional players made up of the top 20 from each region, plus 20 invited guest players, will be racing for the 20 vacancies for the global championship the F1 eSports Pro Draft in London on February 2020.
The final champions will be granted the opportunity to race with top racers include Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Valtteri Bottas.
Each region has a 100,000 RMB prize pool, while final competition prize pool reaches 400,000 RMB. Players can send the video recording of their PC/PS4/XBOX game racing performance to competition@f1esports.cn to sign up.
The launching ceremony of F1 Esport Series China Championship, Shanghai, August 4, 2019. /Courtesy of F1 Esport Series China Championship
The Shanghai municipal government has also launched a plan for a racing game player registration system, granting third level athletic title for the 100 players who enter the first round of the Chinese final championship, and first level athletic title for the 20 players going to London for the global finals.
According to Julian Tan, head of Growth & eSports for the F1, the promotion of F1 eSports is to approach generation Z and to find China's best racers.
Xue Jingjing, general manager of Juss Intellisports, is optimistic about the cooperation with F1 eSports and the landing of the global championship in China.
More than 130,000 people have taken part in the game globally during the past two years, with last year's final watched by 5.5 million viewers online.
(Cover photo: Chinese racer Cui Yue in practice with race car simulator, Shanghai, August 11, 2019. /Courtesy of F1 eSport Series China Championship)