eSports
Full team line-ups and event details announced for 2021 F1® Esports Series Pro Championship presented by Aramco

Ahead of the highly anticipated 2021 F1® Esports Series Pro Championship presented by Aramco, which begins next month, the full driver line-ups and event details were announced in Wednesday’s Preview Show, as teams’ get set to battle it out once again for a piece of the huge $750,000 prize pot – one of the biggest in Esports.
F1® Esports Series’ flagship competition continues to exceed expectation and shatter records along the way with last year’s Pro Series, as it was then called, achieving 10.6m views across TV & digital, as well as a record 291m social impressions and 23.8m video views throughout the campaign. The ever-rising popularity of the competition was even more evident as nearly half a million people attempted to qualify for this year’s championship, an increase of 108% from 2020.
As per the 2020 competition, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, drivers will continue to race from team factories or bespoke Esports facilities, or their own homes, whilst broadcasts will be filmed from the Gfinity Arena in London. Drivers will compete on the official F1® 2021 video game, developed by Codemasters and EA.
Aramco return as the presenting partner of the Pro Championship for a second year, and long-term partners DHL and Fanatec also continue to be a key part of the F1® Esports Series. Fanatec will supply hardware to all drivers for this year’s campaign, as it had done since 2018, while three new drivers will compete in the 2021 season after qualifying through the DHL Time-Trial qualification route, including prominent sim-racer Sebastian Job, who joins Alpha Tauri.
HUGE MOVES ACROSS THE GRID
Since last year’s Championship wrapped up in December, there have been a number of high-profile moves around the grid as two world champions switched allegiances in the off-season. Reigning champion Jarno Opmeer, who secured his first title with Alfa Romeo, has joined Mercedes, filling the spot left by Brendon Leigh. Two-time world champion Leigh, who has been recruited by the FDA, joins the only other drivers champion, David Tonizza.
Reigning teams’ champions Red Bull have retained duo Marcel Kiefer and Frederik Rasmussen, who will both be in contention for a shot at this year’s individual honour, whilst Opmeer’s teammate Dani Bereznay, who helped Alfa Romeo to a second-place finish in the teams’ championship has joined McLaren as they prepare for the new season with a completely new three-driver roster, with last year’s ‘Rookie of the Year’ Dani Moreno also heading to Mercedes.
There will be ten new drivers on this year’s driver line-up, with a third of the grid having been scouted through this year’s Pro Exhibition after qualifying via one of F1® Esports Series’ qualification routes.
Team |
Number |
Driver |
Nationality |
D.O.B |
Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN F1 Esports |
30 |
Simon Weigang |
German |
28/10/1997 |
38 |
Filip Prešnajder |
Slovakian |
27/11/2002 |
|
73 |
Thijmen Schütte |
Dutch |
25/08/2004 |
|
Scuderia AlphaTauri Esports Team |
51 |
Joni Törmälä |
Finnish |
15/08/1996 |
13 |
Sebastian Job |
British |
22/03/2000 |
|
28 |
Dario Iemmulo |
Italian |
28/01/2003 |
|
Alpine Esports Team |
40 |
Nicolas Longuet |
French |
06/08/2002 |
8 |
Fabrizio Donoso |
Chilean |
19/06/1999 |
|
80 |
Patrik Sipos |
Hungarian |
30/04/2003 |
|
Aston Martin Cognizant Esports Team |
88 |
Lucas Blakely |
British |
15/07/2001 |
92 |
Daniele Haddad |
Italian |
12/08/1992 |
|
79 |
Shanaka Clay |
British |
04/02/1999 |
|
FDA Esports Team |
95 |
David Tonizza |
Italian |
14/01/2002 |
72 |
Brendon Leigh |
British |
07/08/1999 |
|
29 |
Domenico Lovece |
Italian |
29/06/2001 |
|
Uralkali Haas F1 Team Esports |
2 |
Cedric Thomé |
German |
26/02/1998 |
15 |
Samuel Libeert |
French |
12/11/1992 |
|
48 |
Matthjs van Erven |
Dutch |
03/03/2003 |
|
McLaren Shadow |
12 |
Daniel Bereznay |
Hungarian |
28/05/2000 |
20 |
Bardia Boroumand |
Iranian |
17/04/2003 |
|
52 |
Josh Idowu |
British |
10/02/2003 |
|
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Team |
34 |
Jarno Opmeer |
Dutch |
11/04/2000 |
26 |
Dani Moreno |
Spanish |
09/01/2001 |
|
94 |
Bono Huis |
Dutch |
04/12/1994 |
|
Red Bull Racing Esports |
24 |
Marcel Kiefer |
German |
24/08/1998 |
19 |
Frederik Rasmussen |
Danish |
18/06/2000 |
|
59 |
Liam Parnell |
German |
05/09/2002 |
|
Williams Esports |
21 |
Álvaro Carretón |
Spanish |
21/07/2001 |
53 |
Michael Romanidis |
Greek |
07/09/2003 |
|
23 |
Alessio Di Capua |
Italian |
10/04/2002 |
TWO CIRCUIT DEBUTS, AND OLD FAVOURITES RETURN
This year’s campaign, the fifth season of the competition, will begin on Wednesday 13 October with the first two races of Event 1, as drivers’ replicate the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship by starting off at the Bahrain International Circuit. Whilst the real-world F1® drivers couldn’t travel to China this year, the Shanghai International Circuit will be brought to life virtually, before the always popular Red Bull Ring rounds off the season-opening Event on the following day.
While most of the chosen venues remain the same as last year, including Zandvoort where F1® returned earlier this month, there are three new tracks for drivers to get to grips with this season. The ‘rollercoaster’ in Portimão makes its debut in the Pro Championships, as does Imola, whilst the Circuit of the Americas returns to the calendar. As has been the case for the past two campaigns, the season finale will see competitors battle it out at Interlagos.
Event # |
Date |
Round # |
Circuit |
Event 1 |
13-14 October |
Round 1 |
Sakhir, Bahrain |
Round 2 |
Shanghai, China |
||
Round 3 |
Spielberg, Austria |
||
Event 2 |
27-28 October |
Round 4 |
Silverstone, Great Britain |
Round 5 |
Monza, Italy |
||
Round 6 |
Spa, Belgium |
||
Event 3 |
24-25 November |
Round 7 |
Portimão, Portugal |
Round 8 |
Zandvoort, Netherlands |
||
Round 9 |
Austin, USA |
||
Event 4 |
15-16 December |
Round 10 |
Imola, Italy |
Round 11 |
Mexico City, Mexico |
||
Round 12 |
Interlagos, Brazil |
EIGHT LIVE SHOWS ACROSS THE SEASON
F1® Esports fans will be happy to hear that following the increased coverage of last year’s Pro Series, the format will remain the same for 2021, where there will be live racing on Wednesday and Thursday of each Event week, as well as livestreamed qualifying sessions on both days. The Pro Championship will be broadcast on the official F1® social channels (Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and Huya), as well as select TV broadcast partners.
Ben Pincus, Director of Commercial Partnerships at Formula 1®, said:
“There’s huge excitement building ahead of the new season of the F1 Esports Series Pro Championship, and we can’t wait to get started, and with so many big moves around the grid, this year’s title really is anyone’s for the taking! As always, we want to thank our partners Aramco, DHL and Fanatec for their continued support which enables us to bring elite sim-racing to fans around the world.”
Paul Jeal, F1 Senior Franchise Director at Codemasters, said:
“The 2021 F1 Esports Series Pro Championship promises to be the most exciting and unpredictable season to date. There have been some exciting driver moves with former double F1 Esports Champion Brendon Leigh joining another ex-champion David Tonizza at Ferrari, and our current F1 Esports Champion Jarno Opmeer moving to Mercedes. We also welcome new exciting talent from the Challengers, and it will be fascinating to see how Alessio Di Capua and Josh Idowu compete on the biggest stage. On behalf of the F1 team at Codemasters and all our players worldwide, good luck to the 2021 drivers. Let the racing begin.”
John Clarke, CEO at Gfinity, said:
“Anticipation is building for the new season of the F1 Esports Series Pro Championship presented by Aramco. It has become a must watch competition for both existing, and an ever-growing army of new, virtual racing fans. The bar is raised each year with new talent emerging and spectacular racing. The Gfinity production team will also be raising the bar with more storytelling and high-octane coverage of the races. It’s time to sit back and enjoy the show!”
Powered by WPeMatico
eSports
Esports World Cup Foundation Launches ‘Music of EWC’ Initiative with Recording at Legendary Abbey Road Studios to Connect Esports Fans Around the World Through the Power of Music

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced the launch of ‘Music of EWC,’ a new initiative that will create an original musical identity for the Esports World Cup 2025, the world’s largest esports and gaming festival, set to return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 through August 24. The multi-stage program kicked off on Sunday, April 27, with the recording of a four-track music suite at the legendary Abbey Road Studios featuring original compositions by acclaimed music development collectives 2WEI and Hollywood Scoring.
The EWCF now invites the global music community to take part in shaping the sound of the EWC 2025 through an open competition on Audiotool, a leading cloud-based music creation platform. Two winning tracks will be selected and added to the official EWC music suite, joining the professional works recorded at Abbey Road. The full soundtrack will be featured across tournament broadcasts, on-site events, and digital content during the seven-week event this summer. The inaugural EWC 2024 recorded over 250 million hours watched, reaching more than 500 million viewers and welcomed 2.6 million visitors to Riyadh’s Boulevard City.
“At its core, the Esports World Cup is about community – a global platform that connects people and elevates talent in all forms,” said Mike McCabe, Chief Operating Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation. “Music of EWC is a natural extension of that purpose, built on the same passion, creativity, and collaboration that define gaming and competition. Music and esports both bring people together, they let us feel the same rhythm, the same energy, wherever we are. With Music of EWC, we’re creating our own voice, sharing a universal language that tells the story of our sport and defines the role of esports in global culture.”
Studio One at Abbey Road, the birthplace of iconic albums for Pink Floyd, Adele and more; films such as Star Wars, Avengers: Endgame, Across The Spiderverse, and games such as Halo, Call of Duty, Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft, and more, hosted the initial recording session, bringing together two of gaming’s most respected music collaborators. 2WEI, known for producing some of the most popular anthems in League of Legends, and campaigns for Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Call of Duty, and Hollywood Scoring, recognized for its work on the Star Wars films, Riot Games’ Arcane, and Disney Parks, will each contribute two original tracks to anchor the suite.
“Music of EWC” marks the beginning of a long-term investment by EWCF in music as a universal language that elevates the storytelling, emotion, and drama of competition. By combining professionally recorded music at one of the most iconic studios in the world with community-created works, the EWCF is building a new platform that celebrates the evolving sound of esports and helps shape the cultural identity of the Esports World Cup.
In addition, to support emerging talent from across the globe, two winning tracks from the Audiotool competition will be selected by industry judges to join the suite and debut during the Esports World Cup this summer. The winners will also receive 25 limited-edition vinyls of their track and a one-year LANDR Studio subscription –an opportunity that could launch careers in gaming and entertainment. Submissions must be original, under a Creative Commons license, and are open until 8 June 2025 at ewc.audiotool.com.
“Partnering with the Esports World Cup, the world’s biggest esports and gaming festival, is a unique opportunity to spotlight new talent on a global stage,” said Andreas Jacobi, CEO of Audiotool. “Together with EWCF, we’re proud to help emerging artists bring their music into esports – a space that’s rapidly reshaping the future of entertainment – and share their work with a global audience as part of a cultural moment that connects creativity, community, and competition.”
The Esports World Cup 2025 will once again unite gaming and esports communities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a global competition that will crown the next Esports World Cup Club Champion. The tournament’s unique cross-game format will reward Clubs and players competing for a life-changing prize pool across a mix of platforms and genres, bringing together esports’ best teams, players and games under one banner in the largest-ever celebration of esports.
The post Esports World Cup Foundation Launches ‘Music of EWC’ Initiative with Recording at Legendary Abbey Road Studios to Connect Esports Fans Around the World Through the Power of Music appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
eSports
BETBY EXPANDS E-SIM GAME PORTFOLIO WITH NEW eSOCCER AND eFIGHTING TITLES

BETBY, the premium sportsbook supplier, has expanded its proprietary esports feed, BETBY Games, with the launch of two new e-sims inspired by some of the most popular titles in global gaming: FIFA’s Penalty Shootout and Mortal Kombat 11. With these additions, the BETBY Games portfolio now includes 16 titles, offering expanded betting opportunities for operators and players.
The latest releases further reinforce BETBY’s two core esports verticals — eSoccer and eFighting — and reflect the company’s ongoing commitment to delivering diverse and engaging betting content. The football-themed title introduces fast-paced gameplay, with each match lasting less than 3 minutes, and includes three leagues based on the World Cup, Spanish La Liga, and Brazilian Série A. Featuring over 15 betting markets in a classic format of 5 shots for each team, this addition brings 30,000 matches per month to the BETBY Games feed, all designed to run with low margins and high engagement.
The second release draws from the iconic world of arcade-style fighting games, offering dynamic player-versus-player action in a Best-of-3 (BO3) format with each match also taking less than 3 minutes. Featuring more than 15 markets and three ongoing tournaments — Elements and Forces, Power and Royalty, and Technology and Chaos — this title equals the football counterpart delivering another 30,000 monthly matches to the platform.
With these new launches, BETBY Games now boasts 70+ tournaments, 350+ betting markets, and supports over 300,000 live matches every month, cementing its position as one of the most comprehensive and high-frequency esports betting solutions in the industry.
Kirill Nekrasov, Head of Sportsbook Product at BETBY, commented: “The launch of these new titles showcases our commitment to evolving the BETBY Games offering and delivering esports content that resonates with players worldwide. By drawing inspiration from globally recognized franchises, we create products that are both familiar and optimized for high-frequency betting environments. This approach enables operators to expand their portfolios and gives players even more excitement and engagement.”
This launch follows the recent success of BETBY Games, which was awarded Best Esports Product 2025 at the SiGMA Americas Awards. This achievement underscores BETBY’s strategic focus on redefining the esports betting experience through unmatched flexibility, deep customization, and exceptional engagement for both operators and players.
The post BETBY EXPANDS E-SIM GAME PORTFOLIO WITH NEW eSOCCER AND eFIGHTING TITLES appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
eSports
GIANTX wins Madrid’s heart during a historic weekend for European esports

Global esports organisation GIANTX has come away from Madrid with a landmark victory, outstanding performances, and the affection of thousands of fans, after the Spanish capital turned into the European hub for esports over the weekend. The LEC Roadtrip, hosted by Movistar KOI — the organisation led by Ibai Llanos — proved to be a resounding success in terms of attendance and organisation. GIANTX, with roots in London and Málaga, played a starring role. Only a narrow defeat against the hosts prevented a perfect weekend. Now, the focus shifts back to Berlin, where GIANTX will fight for a place in the playoffs of the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), the continent’s premier esports league.
For the first time, the LEC temporarily moved its competition from Berlin to Madrid. The Spanish capital once again demonstrated the strength and passion of its esports community, particularly in League of Legends. Around 10,000 spectators filled the Madrid Arena over two days, witnessing four thrilling matches — all decided on the final map — alongside fan activities and community events. The success of the Roadtrip has reignited calls for more international esports events to be hosted in Spain.
GIANTX approached the weekend with two objectives: to improve their standings by securing key victories and to reaffirm their status as one of Europe’s most historic esports organisations, with more than 15 years of tradition and success. The support for GIANTX was immense, with fans travelling from across the country to gather in Madrid. While the team fell just short of a perfect weekend, they earned the respect and affection of the entire arena.
On the competitive front, GIANTX made a strong start by defeating G2 Esports, the historic powerhouse of European League of Legends. It was GIANTX’s first-ever victory over G2, following a tense three-map series that also played out heavily on social media. In the first game, Lot and Jackies led the charge with standout performances on Jax and Yone. Although GIANTX faltered in the second map after a promising early game, they pulled off an unforgettable comeback in the decisive third map, overcoming a formidable performance from G2’s superstar Caps.
Later on Sunday, GIANTX faced KOI in another fiercely contested series. After a standout performance with Tristana in the second game, GIANTX forced a third map but could not maintain their momentum. KOI, who had defeated Fnatic the day before, emerged victorious and closed out the weekend as Roadtrip champions. Fnatic, meanwhile, secured a win over G2 to salvage their weekend.
GIANTX proved itself a top-level contender at the Madrid Arena, but earlier inconsistencies during the Spring Split now weigh heavily in the standings. To qualify for the LEC playoffs, GIANTX must defeat Team BDS next weekend and Team Heretics the following one. The team currently holds a 2-5 record — results that do not fully reflect the positive performances seen in Madrid.
The post GIANTX wins Madrid’s heart during a historic weekend for European esports appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Africa6 days ago
Readen Holding Corp Finalises Acquisition of Morrich Lottery Limited
-
Conferences6 days ago
R. Franco Digital is getting ready to shine at GAT Expo Cartagena 2025 with its most comprehensive offering of land-based and digital gaming
-
Conferences in Europe6 days ago
Altenar Steps in as General Sponsor of EEGS 2025
-
ELK Studios6 days ago
SkillOnNet Strengthens Mexican Market Offering with Light & Wonder, Elk Studios
-
Amusnet6 days ago
Amusnet Sets the Stage for LATAM Growth at GAT Cartagena 2025
-
Anastasia Rimskaya6 days ago
Aviatrix receives certifications in Brazil
-
CT Gaming6 days ago
CT Gaming Expands Presence with New Installations in Panama
-
Cancún5 days ago
CONCEPT AND NEW GAMES REVOLUTIONIZE PALACE BINGO & SPORTS BETS IN CANCÚN