If Virtual F1 racing is the only “realistic” spectator sport the human race gets to see in 2020 we all need to take it seriously ASAP.
Remember those crazy, lazy first few weeks of the lockdown? When the sensible alternative to Marbula 1 was a Virtual Grand Prix Bahrain featuring golfers in the absence of F1 drivers? Last nights 2nd Virtual F1 Grand Prix was shown live on national tv in several countries including Netherlands and Hungary. It might have been shown the the U.K. if it didn’t have to compete with an emergency statement from the Queen.
It was, like the first Virtual GP ran two weeks ago, fun but silly. The chaos that went with the second race was still amusing but it is starting to get irritating. Lando Norris, One of the major promoters of the race and on of the few F1 stars to appear in the first race, dropped out again because of tech problems with his home sim racing setup. The E-sports commentary team nearly missed the start because of chat. The ‘Vietnamese Grand Prix’ was run using the Australian track from the game because the Vietnamese track does not appear in the current version of the game (despite existing in actual concrete reality in Hanoi).
This was galling, as the race itself really looked like an actual race, with a commanding performance from Charles Leclerc to win, and an impressive showing from ex world Champ and sim racing newbie Jenson Button, who at one point was running in second place. Amazingly the E-sports commentators made a better job of explaining tire strategy than the F1 Sky team to during the actual races.
Lando deserves immense credit for giving this events publicity in the first place. His problems reportedly were due to running the game on a PC instead of a console. He dropped out the race at the start as he did in the first race, and he was one of a few who had similar problems. You can see why other F1 drivers see the Virtual GP is lacking credibility. To be fair perhaps some are working on their sim skills in private to join later if they feel confident enough.
This has to end, not because the E-sports spectacle deserves a mass of recognition from its professionalism but because we need it. Virtual GP has been a fun thing up until now and we’ve been able to laugh at it. Partial and celebrity participation haha. Tech problems haha. Jokey E-sports level commentary haha. Those days are over.
There is NO LIVE SPORT of any kind out there and Virtual GP is in a unique position to provide it. Modern graphics and rendering systems have made huge strides but still leave a lot to be desired in terms of realistic human movement. We are still years away from semi-realistic non game football or even MotoGP simulations. Car racing is a different matter. F1’s concentration on shiny surfaces travelling in generally predictable environments means it is uniquely receptive to simulation with current technology. Realistic weather conditions could be a challenge but if we take away the need ever to present human competitors and just concentrate on the virtual cars these races can look pretty good. I’d even be tempted to say they look more detailed than actual F1 tv coverage from the 1970s and 80s. If we are not getting the coverage of the drivers in the race footage lean into the fun of seeing them in their own environment. These people are trained to be celeb superstars, trust them and let them be that. Look at Lando Norris – he looks like he was genetically designed by aliens for social media exploitation
As to Lando’s tech problems, he’s moved on from being a private gamer on Youtube fun events. He’s now a sim sports star watched by millions. It is not his responsibility, or even the responsibility of the game producer, Codemaster, to sort out his PC connectivity with the ‘game’.
That’s old thinking.
Last night it stopped being a game and became a sport. Codemaster writes (great looking) computer games – it does not organise motorsports championships. If Lando or whoever does not have the optimal setup at home to run this he should be sent it and told to use it. Their teams and the FIA should be sending out the required E-sports kit to a spec provided by game producers.
I’ll write the spec for free – it I’m a tech writer
Also – there can be no optional “ I’ve decided to sit this out”
from the other F1 drivers.
Guys, think of this as LiveAid – you are all basically Queen on stage at Wembley in 1985. Except this is bigger than that, this crisis is way more serious than the Ethiopian famine which killed thousands. This virus will kill millions worldwide and your potential global audience means you could save millions. If your agent or whoever is telling you this would be a bad idea – sack them. As the only international sportsmen in a position to compete in anything like convincing version of the real event, F1 drivers are now vital mental health professionals. In keeping people at home interested and away from inundated hospitals you are vital in keeping a semblance of ‘normal’ life going.
The FIA needs to immediately “nationalise” these virtual GPs and turn them from an e-sports oddity into a sport ASAP, with as much credibility and recognition as they can muster. The game producers, Codemasters, are effectively now the circuits and the teams. The real world teams, Mercedes, Ferrart etc are now the tech support and management support for the drivers, and the drivers have to be told by the teams what to do.
The FIA has been paid handsomely by broadcasters to provide spectacle, and in the absence of anything else useful, it should be organising exactly that. After dragging thousands of people across the world and then cancelling the Australian Grand Prix literally hours before it was about to start the FIA owes the world something.
The FIA may hide behind excuses like “oh well there is already an E-sports competition and we don’t want to undermine that” but that is laughable thinking from the days before Coronavirus. Until this is over, Right now F1 IS E-sports– it needs to be, to get bums on seats, to save lives.
Current E-sports stars and fans may not like this but they have to see the benefits long term. Their sport is about to save the world. The long term credibility and exposure e-sports will get from this is priceless and the e-sports stars of now will be the cult international sports stars of tomorrow. But, for the moment, they have to get out of the way and let the real thing take over the virtual.
