eSports

Alfa Romeo and Jarno Opmeer lead F1 Esports Pro Series after races in Bahrain, Vietnam & China

Published

6 years ago

October 16, 2020

Reading Time: 4 minutes

The first round of the F1 Esports Series presented by Aramco got underway with three thrilling races in Bahrain, Vietnam and China, as drivers set their sights on the huge $750,000 prize pot, in what is poised to be the biggest and best season yet.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic drivers are racing remotely for the first time this year, but the popular live shows continue to be broadcast from the Gfinity Esports Arena in London, as we ensure fans don’t miss a moment of the action.

On Wednesday evening drivers took to the Bahrain International Circuit for the season opener, competing at the increased 35% race-length for the first time this year. Alfa Romeo dominated in the only ‘night race’ on the calendar, with Jarno Opmeer and Daniel Bereznay finishing P1 and P2 ahead of Red Bull’s Marcel Kiefer, who joined them on the podium for the first time this season.

Wednesday’s double-header continued with an F1 first as the drivers became the first to race competitively on the brand-new Hanoi Street Circuit in Vietnam, albeit on the F1 2020 official video game developed by Codemasters, rather than the real thing. The multiple long straights and sharp turns made for dramatic racing, which saw last year’s champion David Tonizza come out on top for Ferrari in a tense battle with Renault’s Nicolas Longuet for the win; Jarno Opmeer rounded off the top three.

This year’s first event ended in style with a third and final race in China on Thursday evening, as Jarno Opmeer raced home at the Shanghai International Circuit for his second win of the season. Marcel Kiefer and Daniel Bereznay finished P2 and P3 respectively to crown a successful first round.

This week’s results mean Jarno Opmeer leads the way in the driver standings, whilst Alfa Romeo top the team’s championship.

Attention now turns to the second event, on 4-5 November, as we get set to race for the first time at the Zandvoort Circuit and visit a fan favourite in Canada, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, before finishing at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, where this year’s revised F1 2020 schedule began with an entertaining double-header.

Following the first round of action, the overall standings are as follows:

DRIVER STANDINGS
Position	Driver	Team	Points
1	Jarno Opmeer	Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN F1 Esports	65
2	Marcel Kiefer	Red Bull Racing Esports	41
3	Daniel Bereznay	Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN F1 Esports	33
4	Nicolas Longuet	Renault Vitality	28
5	Frederik Rasmussen	Red Bull Racing Esports	28
6	David Tonizza	FDA Hublot Esports	25
7	Joni Törmälä	Scuderia AlphaTauri Esports	20
8	Brendon Leigh	Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports	18
9	Álvaro Carretón	Williams Esports	14
10	Lucas Blakeley	BWT Racing Point F1 Esports	9
11	Enzo Bonito	FDA Hublot Esports	6
12	Daniel Moreno	McLaren Shadow	6
13	Fabrizio Donoso	Renault Vitality	5
14	Cedric Thomé	Haas F1 Team Esports	4
15	Daniele Haddad	BWT Racing Point F1 Esports	1
16	Bono Huis	Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports	0
17	Bardia Boroumand	Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports	0
18	Michael Romanidis	Williams Esports	0
19	James Baldwin	McLaren Shadow	0
20	Salih Saltunç	Williams Esports	0
21	Manuel Biancolilla	Scuderia AlphaTauri Esports	0
22	Simon Weigang	Haas F1 Team Esports	0

TEAM STANDINGS
Position	Team	Points
1	Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN F1 Esports	98
2	Red Bull Racing Esports	69
3	Renault Vitality	33
4	FDA Hublot Esports Team	31
5	Scuderia AlphaTauri Esports Team	20
6	Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Team	18
7	Team Williams Esports	14
8	BWT Racing Point F1 Esports	10
9	McLaren Shadow	6
10	Haas F1 Team Esports	4

The live show was streamed online via F1’s official channels on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and Huya, as well as broadcast by international television partners such as ESPN (US), Sky (UK) and Ziggo (Netherlands).

Following a huge year for F1 Esports, which saw over 30 million people tune in to the Virtual Grand Prix Series, more people than ever want to get involved. The first qualifying event for the 2021 F1 Esports Series is now open until the end of October on F1 2020, the newly-released official videogame developed by Codemasters. For more information visit www.f1esports.com.

Julian Tan, Head of Digital Business Initiatives & Esports at Formula 1 said:

“We’re thrilled to see the Pro Series back underway and to do it safely and remotely as the world continues to navigate the global pandemic. The first event has shown exhilarating racing with three fantastic races giving us five different podium finishers. We’re definitely in for a thrilling season with it all to play for as the F1 teams battle it out for our huge $750,000 prize pot. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the championship has in store for us!”

Frank Sagnier, CEO at Codemasters said:

“The F1 Esports Series presented by Aramco is back with the bang. We have our most competitive line-up to date, and the drivers didn’t disappoint for the opening series of races. Time will tell if a new rival will emerge to break the dominance we’ve seen from the likes of David Tonizza, Frede Rasmussen & Daniel Bereznay last year, or if Brendon Leigh can roar back and reclaim his crown. We’re off to an incredible start, and we can’t wait for the next round of races.”

John Clarke, CEO at Gfinity said:

“What a start to our biggest season so far, we’ve got a great new game, amazing drivers, thrilling racing, all delivered live and remotely. F1 is once again leading the way in delivering great entertainment for fans from around the world who love gaming and motorsport. Everyone involved has risen to the challenge of having the drivers spread across the globe. Get ready for the best season of racing yet.”

For more information on the F1 Esports Series presented by Aramco visit www.f1esports.com.

eSports

G2 launches Performance Lab research unit backed by Red Bull

Published

2 hours ago

June 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

g2-launches-performance-lab-research-unit-backed-by-red-bull

Berlin-based initiative will embed researchers with teams and publish findings with partners including German Sport University Cologne.

G2 on 5 June 2026 announced the G2 Performance Lab, an applied research and innovation platform focused on performance development for its competitive rosters. The initiative is based in Berlin and has a dedicated site at.

The lab is launching with support from Red Bull and is designed to combine scientific research with day-to-day performance work across G2 teams. G2 said it intends to share outputs beyond the organisation through scientific publications and academic work with institutions including the German Sport University Cologne.

Launched earlier this year, the Performance Lab is led by PhD candidate and G2 Performance Coach Ismael Pedraza-Ramirez. Its first project, “A Space for Leaders”, focuses on leadership development across G2 staff and sits under one of four stated pillars: coaching and coach development. The other pillars are training design & delivery, player development, and performance health & support systems, with projects planned for 2026 involving academic contributors including German Sport University Cologne and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

“As a long-standing partner of G2, Red Bull has played a central role in supporting the vision behind the G2 Performance Lab,” said Alban Dechelotte, G2 CEO. “Red Bull’s track record of investing in athlete performance and high-performance environments speaks for itself. Across traditional sports and esports alike, they share our ambition to build something truly impactful. When you have partners around the table who have that same mindset, it pushes ideas further, raises the standard, and helps challenge what’s possible.”

”The work we’re doing at the G2 Performance Lab is truly innovative for esports and sports, and is going to revolutionise how we approach performance improvement at G2 and beyond,” said Ismael Pedraza, Performance Lab Director and Performance Coach at G2. ”Elite esports competitors are incredible at what they do, yet they have the potential to go even further. Little is still known about how to properly develop them into world-class competitors, and we’re taking steps to change that with Red Bull’s support. Through robust scientific research and practical work, we’re designing the tools and building the infrastructure to bring out the best in our competitors, while also sharing our findings with the world to support the entire esports scene.”

The post G2 launches Performance Lab research unit backed by Red Bull appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

B2B Suppliers

BETER wins Esports Betting Supplier at EGR B2B Awards for second year

Published

13 hours ago

June 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

beter-wins-esports-betting-supplier-at-egr-b2b-awards-for-second-year

BETER has won the Esports Betting Supplier award at the EGR B2B Awards 2026, securing the category for the second consecutive year.

The company said the win is its fifth industry accolade of 2026. The EGR B2B Awards recognise suppliers serving the global iGaming sector across product quality, innovation, reliability and service.

BETER’s esports offering includes its exclusive ESportsBattle content, which it says delivers more than 550,000 events annually across eFootball, eBasketball, eHockey and eTennis, with up to 50 markets per event and an average operator margin of 7.5%+. The company also said ESportsBattle received ESIC Gold Standard Accreditation in 2025 and is now available in several US states, including Kentucky, New Jersey, Arizona, Florida and Colorado.

Separately, BETER said it has expanded its eFootball schedule with more than 4,200 monthly events “tailored to key US betting hours”. It also highlighted its Esports Odds Feed, which it says covers more than 450 tournaments globally and more than 40,000 pre-match and live events annually across titles including CS2, Dota 2, League of Legends and Valorant.

Adam Conway, General Manager of the Esports Business Unit at BETER, said: “Winning this award for the second year in a row is a proud moment for our team and a strong sign that operators continue to see the value of our esports products.

“Our products are built to give operators fast, reliable content that performs around the clock, not only during peak betting hours, while complementing traditional sports. That consistency is what makes the product so important in today’s sportsbook environment.

“We have continued to expand the portfolio, strengthen our US presence, and enhance our eFootball offering. Winning this category again reflects the trust that operators, partners, and the wider industry place in our products and people.

“This recognition reflects the dedication and expertise of teams across the business, including product development, trading, technology, integrity, operations, legal, commercial, marketing, and many others who contribute to our success every day. While we are proud of this achievement, it also motivates us to keep raising the bar, expanding further in regulated markets, and maintaining the high standards that have made BETER one of the industry’s leading providers of fast-paced betting content.”

The post BETER wins Esports Betting Supplier at EGR B2B Awards for second year appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Brazil

Esportes Gaming Brasil exec calls for ‘responsible sponsorship’ at BiS Brasília

Published

5 days ago

June 4, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

esportes-gaming-brasil-exec-calls-for-‘responsible-sponsorship’-at-bis-brasilia

Esportes Gaming Brasil director Hugo Baungartner used a panel appearance at BiS Brasília (Brazilian iGaming Summit) to argue that sports and cultural sponsorships should be measured by their long-term impact, not just brand visibility. Baungartner spoke during the session “A Importância dos Patrocínios e das Leis de Incentivo para a Sustentabilidade do Esporte e da Cultura.”

During the debate, Baungartner said sector maturity requires a long-term approach that turns sponsorships into platforms for relationship-building and local ecosystem development, connecting with fans, consumers and communities.

He highlighted the group’s sports partnerships with Corinthians, Ceará, Náutico and Ferroviária, as well as support for Brazilian cultural events including Carnaval, São João and the Festival de Parintins. Baungartner said major events can move entire supply chains by boosting tourism, commerce and job opportunities, and pointed to the importance of working with local suppliers and professionals in Parintins to expand the positive impacts of sponsorship spending.

Baungartner also addressed challenges in Brazil’s regulated betting market, saying consolidation depends on governance, integrity and consumer protection, alongside efforts to combat illegal operators. He said advances in provider regulation and stronger financial traceability mechanisms are important steps to limit unauthorized activity and improve user security.

“Patrocínio responsável é aquele que cria conexão real com o público e deixa legado no território. No esporte e na cultura, isso significa investir com governança, transparência e propósito, fortalecendo um ecossistema que gera renda, emprego e oportunidades”, afirmou.

The post Esportes Gaming Brasil exec calls for ‘responsible sponsorship’ at BiS Brasília appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.