McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team is offering one lucky eSports champion the opportunity of a lifetime: a contract of employment as a Formula 1 simulator driver.
The Woking-based outfit announced their plans on Thursday, in partnership with Logitech, to find the ‘World’s Fastest Gamer’. They will be the first F1 team to venture into the digital realms.
“This is a hugely exciting opportunity – not only within the gaming industry, but for everyone at McLaren and motorsport in general,” Zak Brown, executive director at McLaren, said.
“We’ve long witnessed the growth of online sports gaming, and, right now, the parallels between the real and the virtual worlds have never been closer.
“This is absolutely the right time to be creating such a unique and exciting proposition; one that connects the worlds of racing and gaming in a way that’s never been explored before.”
Competitors will be pitted against one another in a variety of racing games on multiple platforms, before the final ten “battle it out” at McLaren’s factory this autumn. The ten will consist of six international finalists picked by experts and four further drivers decided by online qualifiers being held this summer.
Every stage will be published on a dedicated YouTube channel in addition to McLaren’s own social media channels.
The winner will receive a one-year contract as a simulator driver, tasked with working alongside the engineers both in the UK and overseas at the tracks in order to further develop and improve their grand prix contender.
“The winner will genuinely be a key part of our team at McLaren,” Brown added.
“This is for real: we absolutely require additional support across our two simulator platforms, so the competition and the selection process will be rigorous, ruthless and compelling to watch.”
