• F1 Esports Series kicks off an official Chinese competition
• The Chinese market slated to grow to $210 million in 2019
• Nearly all F1 franchises now have an esports team

F1 Esports is hosting the China Championship, the first attempt of the digital racing competition to break into the Chinese market.

F1 Esports Series Turns Its Look on China and Asia

Following the success of F1 Esports Series, the organization is expanding its clout in Asia, introducing the competition to China, one of the main esports markets in the region. A fresh national event will be hosted in August and it will continue until the end of the year.

The so-called China Championship will begin with qualifiers, which will promote capable SIM racers to the regional finals, which will then be followed by the Grand Finale featuring as many as 100 players from the entire country competing for the title.

Once the competition is wrapped up, the winner of the event will be granted an access to the 2020 F1 Esports Pro Draft as well as an opportunity to be signed up by an official Formula One franchise. McLaren, Mercedes-AMG, and most recently Ferrari, are just some of the names that now field an esports team.

A Global Recognition

Despite some scepticism at first, the Formula One Esports Series have taken the world by storm, and since the time it first launched in 2017, by 2019, the competition has seen as many as 110,000-odd gamers participate.

Responding to the increased interest, the competition has boosted its prize pool to $500,000 in April, 2019, which is double what last season’s event offered. The expansion in China is not a chance thing either, with the competition expected to operate in one of the wealthiest esports market.

Based on research data, the Chinese esports market could be worth $210 million in 2019. This means that Formula One Esports will want to move in the country, giving access to potentially the largest esports demographic in the world.

Commenting on the importance of the market, Formula One Esports Head Julian Tan had the following to say:

“China is an incredibly important market to Formula One and we believe there is massive potential to grow the passion for motorsport and cultivate the love for F1 as a sport in this region through F1 Esports, particularly amongst our next generation of fans.”

Olivia Xue from Juss Intellisports, representing the company that will act as an official sponsor of the competition in China, has also shared her enthusiasm:

“We will witness records to be made and broken and will wish all aspirants great luck. China is the first country or region to participate in F1 Esports Series globally and we are fully confident that the tournament will be a success this year.”

Meanwhile, F1 Esports Series has been doing well in the west with Ferrari becoming the latest mainstream franchise to join the competitive video gaming space. McLaren has also renewed “The Shadow Project” aimed at recruiting top SIM drivers talent.