Great success for the F1 eSports - Virtual Grand Prix series

23 June 2020

The F1 eSports – Virtual Grand Prix Series, created to enable fans to continue watching Formula 1 races and support virtually the world’s best drivers joined by other personnalities during the lockdown period, achieved a record-breaking 30 million views across TV and digital platforms during the lockdown period.

The Virtual Grand Prix series, which has allowed a number of Formula 1 drivers to engage with fans on a more personal level as well as boosting their profile on a wider scale, reached 2.8 million views on digital platforms including the official Formula 1 official channels as well as Huya and Weibo channels in China, with the Virtual Vietnam Grand Prix being the top trending video on YouTube IK post-event on April 5. TV viewership estimates suggest the virtual races also accumulated a further 5 million views through broadcast partners in over 100 countries. The success of the Virtual Grand Prix also benefited the official F1 2019 video game developed by Codemasters, which saw 1,000 month-on-month growth of streaming hours on the popular gaming platform.

Alongside the main Virtual Grand Prix events, #Challenge Events featuring former drivers including Nico Rosberg and David Coulthard achieved 1.9 million views across digital platformw, while Pro Exhibition races, featuring the Pro F1 eSports drivers, totalized over 2.5 million digital views.

“Now the series has come to an end, it gives us the chance to reflect on the huge success that it has been, which is reflected in the very impressive viewing figures and engagements stats”, said Julian Tan, Head of Digital Business Initiatives and eSports.

Video credit: Formula 1 via YouTube