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Jarno Opmeer and Mercedes lead F1 Esports Series Pro Championship presented by Aramco after dramatic Event 1

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The 2021 F1 Esports Series Pro Championship presented by Aramco got underway with an thrilling Event 1 this week, where Jarno Opmeer and Mercedes took an early lead in the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships respectively, but with eight different podium finishers in the first three races, the huge $750,000 prize pot is all to play for.

The return of the Pro Championship was more anticipated than ever before following record-breaking viewership last year, the highest ever participation numbers of fans attempting to qualify, as well as several huge moves around the grid with a number of F1 Esports’ biggest names switching allegiances in the off-season.

Much like the 2020 season, drivers are continuing to race remotely from their homes or team facilities, but the hugely popular competition continues to broadcast from the Gfinity Esports Arena in London, with live shows fronted by familiar faces: Natalie Pinkham, Tom Deacon and Nic Hamilton. Following the same Event format as recent campaigns, teams battle it out on the official F1 2021 video game, developed by Codemasters, in two races on a Wednesday, and one on a Thursday, across four broadcasts, which also features qualifiying.

In the first of Wednesday’s two races, the virtual world mirrored reality as the season opener took place at the Sakhir International Circuit, Bahrain, and it was Britain’s Lucas Blakeley who took his maiden win in a historic moment, becoming the first winner for the Aston Martin Cognizant Esports team. Blakeley started in P2 behind Nicolas Longuet but passed him going into the first corner and didn’t relinquish top spot until the final few laps when the lead changed hands several times between the pair, thanks to brave racing and the use of DRS, before the Aston Martin man timed his last attack to perfection. Alvaro Carretón was with the front two the whole way, ready to pounce on any mistakes, but in the end had to settle for a well-deserved P3 for Williams.

Wednesday’s action continued with a trip to China, and whilst the real-world drivers haven’t raced at the Shanghai International Circuit since the pandemic struck, the popularity of F1, and Esports, continues to flourish, as seen by the success of the F1 Esports Series China Championship. Reigning champion Jarno Opmeer showed his title-winning pedigree with an unbelievable victory, taking a huge risk as the only driver to start the race on intermediates tyres, despite there being torrential rain, after a poor qualifying performance that left him in P14. He fell as far as P18, before the rest of the grid began to pit and switch to the same tyres, allowing him to make his way up the grid. He was soon leading, and despite a brief change of leadership between himself and Fabrizio Donoso, as the Alpine driver became the first switch to softs, Opmeer was able to secure his first win for Mercedes in stunning fashion. Red Bull’s Marcel Kiefer put in an accomplished performance in tricky conditions to get his first podium of the season.

The first Event of the new season was rounded off with a second win for Opmeer at the Red Bull Ring with an emphatic victory as he sent out a message to the rest of the field that he is intent on defending his crown. Frederik Rasmussen, one of last year’s front runners picked up his first podium of the year, ahead of McLaren’s new boy Bardia Boroumand who secured third, and is already living up to the hype around him in the pre-season. 

Event 2 will see the drivers battle it out on a trio of iconic ‘old-school’ circuits as the Pro Championship heads to Silverstone, Monza and Spa, in what is set to be an action-packed two days across 27-28 October.

Following Event 1, the official standings are as follows:

Driver standings

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Team standings

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The live shows are streamed online via official channels of Formula 1 on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and Huya, as well as broadcast on television via select international broadcast partners.

In the last 18 months, F1 Esports events have achieved over 40 million views across TV and digital, and this popularity led to a record number of people attempting to be a part of this year’s Pro Exhibition, with almost half a million taking part in qualification. This year’s qualification is now open through a challenge in the official F1 2021 video game, with the first event live until 31st October. If you would like to find out more information on how to take part in the F1 Esports Series and for more information on the Pro Championship presented by Aramco, visit www.f1esports.com.

Full race results:

Race 1 – Bahrain

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Race 2 – China

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Race 3 – Austria

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Ben Pincus, Director of Commercial Partnerships at Formula 1®, said:

“It’s great to see the F1 Esports Series Pro Championship presented by Aramco back underway. We’ve been spoilt with excitement in the real-life racing this year and if these first races are anything to go by, we’re in for a treat this season in the virtual world too.”

 

John Clarke, CEO at Gfinity, said:

“Last year’s record-breaking participation is a testament to Formula 1’s continuous innovation and expansion, bringing more fans than ever into the world of F1 Esports. Off the back of last year’s success, the F1 Esports Series has returned bigger and better than ever, giving Gfinity the opportunity to utilise its tech IP and world-class production to help F1 fans feel ever closer to the series.

 

Paul Jeal, F1 Senior Franchise Director at Codemasters, said:

“We’re into the fifth year of F1 Esports, and the standard continues to get higher and higher, with some blistering lap times and exciting wheel to wheel racing to open the series. A great display from Jarno Opmeer as he tops the drivers’ championship, and it looks like we could have an incredible battle between a handful of teams for the team championship. Roll on the second show.”

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BETER Teams Up with FIRST

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In-demand fast-betting content provider brings its esports and sports products to a Tier-1 sportsbook supplier

BETER, the award-winning provider of fast-betting content and data for esports and sports, has entered into a strategic partnership with FIRST – Best in Sports, a Tier-1 sportsbook supplier.

Through this collaboration, FIRST will integrate fan-favorite ESportsBattle tournaments, initially taking eFootball and eBasketball, as well as world-renowned Setka Cup table tennis tournaments.

BETER delivers 24/7 live streaming, real-time data, and hyper-accurate odds for approximately 700,000 fast-paced events each year, offering up to 50 markets per event with an average operator margin of 7.5%+.

Its esports portfolio includes ESportsBattle tournaments, featuring eFootball, eBasketball, eHockey, and the recently launched eTennis. Its sports portfolio features the Setka Cup table tennis series, BSKT Cup basketball league, GTR Cup tennis tournaments, Padel tennis, as well as coverage of official cricket tournaments and leagues worldwide.

BETER ensures the highest standards of fairness and transparency across its content offerings, backed by collaborations with ESIC and IBIA.

FIRST – Best in Sports delivers a fully managed, high-performance sportsbook engineered for speed, scale and precision. With sportsbook specialization at its core, FIRST helps operators in LatAm, Europe and Africa compete at the highest level from day one, combining sharp pricing and risk, deep trading expertise, regional insight, and rapid rollout to accelerate performance.

Both companies were recognized among the best at the recent SBC Awards ceremony, with BETER receiving the Silver Award in the Live Betting Product category, while FIRST was named Sportsbook Supplier of the Year.

Gal Ehrlich, CEO of BETER, said: “The partnership between BETER and FIRST brings together two pioneering providers committed to delivering next-generation betting experiences. 

“FIRST has launched our collaboration by integrating a suite of our most popular products—EsportsBattle for esports and Setka Cup for sports—both proven to engage players and deliver the fast-betting thrills they seek.

“This is a great partnership, and our teams are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration.”

Tom Light, CEO of FIRST, added: “BETER’s fast-betting portfolio fits exactly what FIRST was built for: a high-performance sportsbook crafted by specialists. 

“Together, we give operators a direct route to Tier-1 competitiveness, faster time-to-market, higher player engagement, and the confidence to go head-to-head with the biggest brands across LatAm, Europe and Africa from day one.”

The post BETER Teams Up with FIRST appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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GRID Acquires Bayes Esports Assets

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GRID, a game data and technology platform, has acquired the intellectual property assets of Bayes Esports following the company’s liquidation proceedings and will integrate the technology into its GRID Bet division.

The acquisition integrates strategic technology components developed by Bayes over nearly a decade, including live data trading solutions, prediction models, and fan engagement tools, into the GRID Data Platform. These technologies will now be powered exclusively by official esports data available only on GRID, accelerating product development and driving innovation across GRID’s entire portfolio, with a particular focus on GRID Bet, the company’s comprehensive solution for regulated esports betting.

“The acquisition of Bayes assets further accelerates GRIDs capabilities to create value for rights holders in esports and shape the next phase of esports betting in particular,” said Moritz Maurer, Founder & CEO of GRID.

The post GRID Acquires Bayes Esports Assets appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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BETBY

BETBY CELEBRATES SUCCESS AT SBC SUMMIT LISBON 2025 WITH ESPORTS SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR AWARD

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BETBY, a Tier 1 sportsbook supplier, successfully concluded an impactful presence at SBC Summit Lisbon 2025, where its booth became a central hub for clients, partners, and industry professionals. The summit served as a powerful platform for the company to spark new connections, exchange ideas, and engage in discussions on the latest trends shaping the global betting and gaming industry.

Positioned as “the global gaming and betting industry comes to do business,” SBC Summit provided the ideal stage for BETBY to showcase its cutting-edge sportsbook technology and innovative solutions. Visitors to the BETBY booth experienced first-hand the company’s latest tools designed to empower operators with robust, scalable, and future-proof technology.

The highlight of the event came as BETBY was honoured with the prestigious Esports Supplier of the Year Award. This accolade reflects the company’s unwavering commitment to delivering innovative, reliable, and high-performing solutions that address the evolving needs of sportsbook operators worldwide.

“Being recognised as Esports Supplier of the Year at the SBC Summit is an incredible achievement for our team,” said Leonid Pertsovskiy, CEO at BETBY. “It validates our focus on pushing technological boundaries and our mission to create solutions that bring real value to operators and their players. SBC Summit not only provided BETBY with the opportunity to highlight its achievements but also reaffirmed its position as an industry leader driving innovation in sportsbook technology.”

As BETBY looks ahead, the company is already preparing for its next major industry showcase at the SiGMA Europe Summit in November 2025, which for the first time will be held in Rome. There, BETBY will once again present its cutting-edge tools, insights, and expertise to operators across the globe.

The post BETBY CELEBRATES SUCCESS AT SBC SUMMIT LISBON 2025 WITH ESPORTS SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR AWARD appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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