We have been seeing teams dominate multiple seasons in a row and watching a one-horse race heavily reduces the entertainment value.
Steps have indeed been taken to bring back wheel-to-wheel racing but the efforts seem to have been lackluster. The much-anticipated rule changes have proved to be merely a shuffling in the order between the front-running teams.
While we have been seeing a little more action this season, we are still not seeing many teams being able to run for podiums and race wins regularly. However, there is one more piece to the puzzle, the tracks. A fair few of them always end up having boring and predictable races, where most action happens in the pit lane. Compounded with performance gaps between the team, it makes for a very stale format.
Well, these problems are only an issue in the real life. However, the digital world has managed to work around them. Of course, I am talking about the Formula 1 video game and the esports events associated with it.
That’s where everything changes and we can see Aston Martins and McLarens fighting for race wins. It is a place where no car has an advantage, where the physics can be influenced by code to reduce dirty air and provide closer racing. But things go further than just a pseudo-spec series version of Formula 1. Nothing could replace the pinnacle of motorsport and the innovation it brings, but this could add to it, for anyone willing to give it a chance.
Well, I said this goes further so let’s finally get to the drivers. Single-seater, open cockpit racing is a very dangerous sport. While it is now safer than it has ever been, the drivers still take a huge risk when they go racing. This is where I think F1 esports gets a big extra point. The players who race these virtual cars do not risk injury.
That’s a considerable plus for two main reasons. The obvious one is the fact that the players' health is not threatened when racing virtual cars. And that’s not just important for them, but for the racing itself. With no actual dangers to them, they are willing to go for riskier racing maneuvers and provide fans with tons of great overtakes and battles.
As a kid, Bogdan grew up handing his dad the tools needed to work on his old Citroen and asking one too many questions about everything happening inside the engine bay. Naturally, this upbringing led Bogdan to become an engineer, but thanks to Top Gear, The Fast and the Furious series, and racing video games, a passion for automotive entertainment was ignited. Full profile
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