The F1 Esports Series Challengers racing esports competition will return for 2022 and you won’t have to wait long either, as it begins later today.
For the uninitiated, this championship is an officially-sanctioned Formula 1 esports series for up-and-coming talent. Think of it as a showcase for emerging virtual F1 racers, with the F1 Esports Series Pro teams able to keep their eyes out for any potential new signings.
To enter F1 Esports Series Challengers, there were a series of qualifying events via the F1 2021 game late last year. The best drivers from these have made the cut, across PlayStation, Xbox and PC.
Each platform will then take part in 12 races between now and March 2022. Each event will feature two 25 per cent race distance races, running consecutive days for each platform. Each race result is awarded championship points, and at the end of all the races, the top six from each platform will progress into the F1 Esports Series Pro Exhibition.
The Pro Exhibition was first held in 2021, replacing the previous draft system. It’s a showcase event where teams can watch drivers races before approaching drivers they think have potential for F1 Series Pro contract negotiations.
A notable success story from Challengers last year was Josh Idowu, who finished second in the PC series in 2021, only to be then signed for McLaren Shadow for the F1 Series Pro season and snag a pole position.
The full calendar is below and each race is broadcast live on Formula 1’s Twitch and Huya channels from 19:30 GMT / 20:30 CET.
F1 Esports Series Challengers 2022 calendar
- Xbox Event 1 – Tuesday 18th January 2022
- PlayStation Event 1 – Wednesday 19th January 2022
- PC Event 1 – Thursday 20th January 2022
- Xbox Event 2 – Tuesday 1st February 2022
- PlayStation Event 2 – Wednesday 2nd February 2022
- PC Event 2 – Thursday 3rd February 2022
- Xbox Event 3 – Tuesday 15th February 2022
- PlayStation Event 3 – Wednesday 16th February 2022
- PC Event 3 – Thursday 17th February 2022
- Xbox Event 4 – Tuesday 1st March 2022
- PlayStation Event 4 – Wednesday 2nd March 2022
- PC Event 4 – Thursday 3rd March 2022
- Xbox Event 5 – Tuesday 15th March 2022
- PlayStation Event 5 – Wednesday 16th March 2022
- PC Event 5 – Thursday 17th March 2022
- Xbox Event 6 – Tuesday 29th March 2022
- PlayStation Event 6 – Wednesday 30th March 2022
- PC Event 6 – Thursday 31st March 2022
Source: F1 Esports
