Ferrari to enter F1 Esports Series in 2019

Ferrari will enter Formula 1's official Esports series for the first time in 2019, with all 10 teams signed up for this year's edition.

Ferrari was the only team not to take part in last year's F1 Esports Series - won by Mercedes' Brendon Leigh - but it will now join the virtual grid for the third running of the championship.

The format for this year's Esports Series will follow that of last year, with a Pro Draft taking place in July following a selection process to whittle down the fastest racers on F1's official game.

"All 10 teams will take part in the Pro Draft which will take place over two days in July and is where the official F1 teams will select the drivers they want to add to their roster to represent them in the Pro Series," a release from F1 confirmed.

"A number of high stakes race-offs on day one will identify the best of the best from the drivers that successfully navigated the online qualifying phase. The slowest drivers will be eliminated, while the fastest will make up the final pool from which the teams will make their picks on day two. Every official F1 team must select at least one of its drivers from the Pro Draft.

"After the Pro Draft, the teams and their drivers will compete in the Pro Series, with a total of twelve races being contested over four live events between September and December 2019. In the Pro Series, the drivers will compete on F1 2019 by Codemasters, the official game of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

"These races will determine the 2019 F1 New Balance Esports Series Teams’ and Drivers’ World Champions, with an increased prize fund of $500,000, more than double that of last year’s prize fund."

Julian Tan, head of growth and F1 Esports at Formula 1 said: “It’s incredibly exciting to welcome all 10 teams to take part in the 2019 F1 New Balance Esports Series for the first time.

"Last year saw amazing growth for the series and with the commitment of Ferrari completing the virtual grid, we continue to elevate the series to greater heights as we further align our virtual and real world sports, creating one of the world’s most innovative esports offerings whether in motorsports or beyond.

"As the 10 teams all vie for a cut of the $500,000 prize fund, this is going to be the biggest season to date.”