eSports

Formula 1 drivers joined by cricket and football stars for Virtual Grand Prix at Brazil’s Interlagos

Published

6 years ago

April 30, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Formula 1 drivers Alex Albon, Antonio Giovinazzi, George Russell, Nicholas Latifi and Charles Leclerc will be joined by stars from cricket and football for this weekend’s virtual race at the Interlagos Circuit.

England cricketers Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes will take to the grid for this weekend’s Virtual Grand Prix alongside A.C. Milan captain Alessio Romagnoli, where they will battle it out alongside Formula 1 stars in the fourth virtual race of the season, with more names to be announced in the coming days.

Broad, who will be racing for Scuderia AlphaTauri, will be looking to beat his England teammate Stokes, who is racing in his second virtual Grand Prix for Aston Martin Red Bull Racing alongside Alex Albon.

Sunday’s race will fall on the weekend originally scheduled for the 2020 return of the Dutch Grand Prix, however as Circuit Zandvoort is not available on the F1 2019 videogame, the choice of circuit was left to a fan vote on social media. Brazil’s Autódromo José Carlos Pace, also known as Interlagos, emerged as the clear winner, securing more 50% of the 40,000 votes cast. Drivers will join the race remotely, with a host broadcast live from the Gfinity Esports Arena from 6:00pm (BST) on Sunday May 3.

The Virtual Grand Prix Series has proven immensely popular with fans around the world with the Bahraini, Vietnamese and Chinese virtual GPs cumulating over 12.9m views across F1’s digital platforms. When combined with television estimates, more than 16m people have tuned in for the three races to date.

The broadcast which will be available on the official Formula 1 YouTube, Twitch, Weibo and Facebook channels, is expected to run for 1 hour 30 minutes, with a qualifying period where grid positions will be determined based on the drivers’ fastest lap time, followed by a 28-lap race. The Virtual Grand Prix will

also be broadcast live with international broadcast partners in over 100 countries including in the UK on Sky Sports, in the US on ESPN, and FOX Sports Asia across Southeast Asia.

The F1 Esports Pro Exhibition race will precede the Virtual Grand Prix – and is set to begin at 5:00pm (BST). The broadcast will be available on the official Formula 1 YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels as well as selected TV broadcasters and is expected to run for 1 hour.

Julian Tan, Head of Digital Business Initiatives and Esports said:

“We are delighted that so many fans are watching and engaging with the F1 Esports Virtual Grands Prix. The viewership continues to go from strength to strength, outlining the growing success of the races and the wider potential of Formula 1 in esports. Furthermore, we are thrilled to welcome more stars from outside the world of F1, to complement our strong F1 and motorsport driver grid, and use this opportunity to link up with other sports as we all stand together to give fans something to cheer about during these difficult times.”

Belgium

Epic Games and BLAST bring 2026 Fortnite Global Championship to Antwerp

Published

8 hours ago

June 2, 2026

Wladimir P.

epic-games-and-blast-bring-2026-fortnite-global-championship-to-antwerp

Epic Games and BLAST will host the 2026 Fortnite Global Championship in Antwerp, Belgium, on September 26-27, marking the FNCS season finale at Lotto Arena.

Epic and BLAST said the event brings the Fortnite competitive circuit and BLAST to Antwerp for the first time. The announcement was made at the Fortnite Major 1 Summit in Düsseldorf, Germany.

A $2,000,000 USD prize pool will be at stake, alongside the FNCS Global Championship trophy crafted by silverware artisan Thomas Lyte.

Epic and BLAST positioned Antwerp—located in the Benelux region—as a travel-friendly destination for fans coming from Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany. Ticket information is available via the venue listing.

The post Epic Games and BLAST bring 2026 Fortnite Global Championship to Antwerp appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

eSports

G2’s Otis Lawrence wins 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship

Published

4 days ago

May 29, 2026

Wladimir P.

g2’s-otis-lawrence-wins-2026-f1-sim-racing-world-championship

Welsh driver beats Ismael Fahssi by two points after a 12-round season running March 27 to May 28 with a $750,000 prize pool.

G2-backed Alpine Sim Racing driver Otis Lawrence has been crowned 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Champion after the season concluded on May 28.

The 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship ran from March 27 to May 28 and featured a $750,000 prize pool. Drivers representing Formula 1 teams competed across four events, starting with a live opener at DreamHack Birmingham.

The title was decided at the final event. Lawrence secured multiple race victories across 12 rounds and finished top of the standings.

Lawrence won the championship by two points ahead of Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports driver Ismael Fahssi. Reigning champion Jarno Opmeer of Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing placed third overall.

The post G2’s Otis Lawrence wins 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

eSports

Esports Foundation books Paris Expo Porte de Versailles for Esports World Cup 2026

Published

5 days ago

May 28, 2026

Wladimir P.

esports-foundation-books-paris-expo-porte-de-versailles-for-esports-world-cup-2026

The Esports Foundation (EF) has confirmed Paris Expo Porte de Versailles as the venue for Esports World Cup 2026, scheduled to run in Paris, France, from July 06 through August 23.

EF said tickets for all 25 competitions will go on sale from Friday, May 29, 2026, via esportsworldcup.com/tickets. The organiser said the venue will host competition arenas, broadcast operations, and fan activations across the seven-week programme.

According to EF, more than 2,000 players from over 200 Clubs and more than 100 countries will compete for a $75 million prize pool as part of the event’s cross-game Club Championship. The tournament lineup spans major competitive genres, including first-person shooters, strategy, sports, MOBAs, battle royales, fighting games, racing games, and Chess.

EF also outlined ticketing tiers, including Regular Tournament Passes, Premium Tournament Passes (with fast-track entry and a limited-edition goodie bag), Daily Regular Tournament Passes, and tiered Final Day seating zones (Gold, Silver, and Bronze) for select championship matches across VALORANT, League of Legends, Rocket League, and Counter-Strike 2.

The published schedule lists Week 1 events including VALORANT (July 9–12), ALGS Year 6 Split 1 Playoffs (Apex Legends) (July 7–11), Dota 2 (July 7–12), and FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves (July 8–11), with Counter-Strike 2 closing out Week 7 from August 19–23 alongside Fortnite Reload Elite Series Championship, Trackmania, and CROSSFIRE.

The post Esports Foundation books Paris Expo Porte de Versailles for Esports World Cup 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.