VIRTUAL F1
Luke Smith on sim racing’s outcomes
TWITCH HAS TAKEN US TO PLACES EVEN NETFLIX’S DRIVE TO SURVIVE SERIES HASN’T
As the motorsport world begins to edge back towards normality and the resumption of on-track racing, the Esports scene will also face a transitional phase. The spike in interest in virtual racing will undoubtedly have converted many fans and racers but let’s face it, nothing quite beats the ‘real thing’.
For some drivers, incidents over the last few months will have a profound impact on their racing futures. In the case of Formula E driver Daniel Abt, it may have ended his career entirely.
Abt was revealed to have used a professional sim racer to take his place in a Formula E ‘Race at Home’ event. The Audi driver later apologised and explained it was all meant to be a joke, and that he had envisioned turning the exercise into a video. But his employers saw no amusement in the scenario. Abt was suspended and then dismissed from Audi’s Formula E squad (run by his father), putting the brakes on his motorsport career. Audi’s rationale was that its values of “integrity, transparency and consistent compliance with applicable rules” had been breached by Abt’s shenanigans.
The episode served to reignite the “it’s just a game” debate that has rumbled throughout the Esports boom of the past few months. In the absence of physical motorsport, the application of the same laser-focused mentality to sim racing has hardly been unanimous.
Some have taken it far more seriously than others; and even if you do regard Abt’s transgression as trivial, there are wider issues surrounding trust and integrity in the sports world given the prevalence of betting. There’s also the possibility that rancour might leak into the real world.
“That’s the thing that happens when you get professional racing drivers into something – we all want to win, even if it’s a game. Whatever it is, we all get competitive,” said ex-sauber F1 driver Marcus Ericsson, who was involved in the inter-driver beef following the chaotic end to Indycar’s iracing series. “I think there might be some rivalries that go on from what happened in iracing. It will be fun though.”
Thankfully, F1’s band of 20-somethings who have sunk their free time into sim racing have been grown up about it. At no point has there been any nastiness between the protagonists. It’s all led to highly unlikely events taking place: Charles Leclerc dressing in a banana suit; Lando Norris shaving his head; and George Russell winning races for Williams (and winding up Alex Albon in the process). Fantastic! While other series have seen the negative impact of taking drivers away from their PR babysitters and letting them act freely, it has only been a good thing for F1.
We’ve seen the true colours of some brilliant characters, offering sides previously unseen. Twitch has taken us to places even Netflix’s Drive to Survive series hasn’t.
The hope is that even in the era of closed events and social distancing, these newly formed bromances can prove lasting. Norris, Leclerc, Russell and co. are likely to be around for years to come. If this kind of cordiality can also persist, it will give us a likeable, open and positive grid – something that’s perhaps been lacking at times.
The hubbub over sim racing may now be coming to an end, but let us hope its positive effects continue to be felt.