Ferrari Driver Academy and their draft pick driver, David Tonizza top tables after first 2019 F1 New Balance Esports Pro Series live show

11 September 2019

SIGNUP FOR EMAIL ALERTS

Ferrari makes triumphant first ever foray into esports
All ten official F1 Esports teams went head to head with
Ferrari Driver Academy one step closer to the $500,000 prize fund

After an evening of dramatic racing in the first 2019 F1 New Balance Esports Pro Series live event, Ferrari Driver Academy leads the way, with David Tonizza taking the top spot in the driver standings. The Ferrari Driver Academy driver is closely followed by Red Bull Racing Esports driver Frederik Rasmussen in second place whilst SportPesa Racing Point F1 Esports driver Marcel Kiefer claimed third.

Tonight’s event was hosted at the Gfinity Esports arena in London and saw all ten of the official F1 Esports teams go head to head on F1 2019, the official F1 videogame developed by Codemasters, for the first time.

The first race of the Pro Series saw the drivers take on the infamous Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir. After starting an impressive third on the grid, Italy’s Tonizza dominated the first race of 2019, securing the first ever win for the Ferrari Driver Academy. The driver was closely followed by Renault Sport Team Vitality’s, Jarno Opmeer finishing second and Alfa Romeo Racing F1 Esports, Salih Saltunc finishing third.

The second race took place at the Shanghai International Circuit and witnessed a dramatic battle between Tonizza and Daniel Bereznay as they continued their tussle from the previous race. However, The FDA driver continued to triumph and took another win for the Italian team. Second place went to Red Bull Racing Esports driver Rasmussen and third to SportPesa Racing Point F1 Esports, Marcel Kiefer.

The iconic Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan set the stage for the final race of the night and turned out to be a tense battle between Rasmussen and Williams Esports Tino Naukkarinen. Despite all the on track action, Rasmussen came out on top with Naukkarinen a close second and Tonizza in third.

The fight for the championships will continue at the next live event on October 2nd, which will see Ferrari Driver Academy defend its positions at the top of both standings.

Following this evening’s show, the current standings are as follows:

DRIVER STANDINGS
Position	Driver	Team	Points
1	David Tonizza	Ferrari Driver Academy	65
2	Frederik Rasmussen	Red Bull Racing Esports	43
3	Marcel Kiefer	SportPesa Racing Point F1 Esports	31
4	Salih Saltunc	Alfa Romeo Racing F1 Esports	29
5	Jarno Opmeer	Renault Sport Team Vitality	28
6	Brendon Leigh	Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports	22
7	Bono Huis	McLaren Shadow	19
8	Tino Naukkarinen	Williams Esports	18
9	Enzo Bonito	McLaren Shadow	8
10	Alvaro Carreton	Williams Esports	8
11	Daniele Haddad	SportPesa Racing Point F1 Esports	8
12	Floris Wijers	Haas F1 Team Esports	8
13	Daniel Bereznay	Alfa Romeo Racing F1 Esports	6
14	Patrik Holzmann	Scuderia Toro Rosso Esports	4
15	Patryk Krutyj	Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports	4
16	Joni Tormala	Red Bull Racing Esports	1
17	Cedric Thome	Renault Sport Team Vitality	1
18	Cem Bolukbasi	Scuderia Toro Rosso Esports	0
19	Amos Laurito	Ferrari Driver Academy	0
20	Isaac Price	Williams Esports	0
21	Jan Fehler	Haas F1 Team Esports	0

TEAM STANDINGS
Position	Team	Points
1	Ferrari Driver Academy	65
2	Red Bull Racing Esports	44
3	SportPesa Racing Point F1 Esports	39
4	Alfa Romeo Racing F1 Esports	35
5	Renault Sport Team Vitality	29
6	McLaren Shadow	27
7	Williams Esports	26
8	Mercedes – AMG Petronas Esports	26
9	Haas F1 Team Esports	8
10	Scuderia Toro Rosso Esports	4

The live show was streamed online via Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and Huya, as well as broadcast live on global television by broadcast partners such as Sky (UK), Ziggo (Netherlands), MTV (Finland) and Fox (Australia).

With a significant increase in interest in the F1 New Balance Esports Series, and for those who missed out this year, qualifying rounds for the 2020 Series have launched early for the very first time. Now officially open and running until the end of the calendar year, anyone with a copy of F1 2019 can take part. The qualifications are open globally and there are three qualifying rounds left. For more information, please visit www.f1esports.com.

Julian Tan, Head of Growth & Esports at Formula 1 said:

“Tonight’s event shows the level of determination and talent demanded to compete in the 2019 F1 New Balance Esports Pro Series. To earn a prestigious position with an official F1 Esports team, each driver has had to prove their worth. The on-track action this evening has been thrilling, and it’s great to see new contenders dominate the leaderboard. David Tonizza, our first pro draft pick this year truly impressed and Ferrari have shown a masterclass performance in their first ever foray into esports. We can’t wait to see the championship continue to develop and what twists and turns lay ahead at the second live event on October 2nd as the teams continue to battle it out on the world’s most prestigious virtual racing championship.”

Frank Sagnier, CEO at Codemasters, said:

“The opening night of the F1 Esports Series is always special and tonight didn’t disappoint with all 10 teams lining-up for the first time,” said Frank Sagnier, CEO at Codemasters. “With David Tonizza taking an early lead for Ferrari who are making their esports debut, there is the potential to see a changing of the guard. This promises to be the most exciting Series to date and we can’t wait until 2nd October to see what happens next.

Graham Wallace, Global Chief Operating Officer at Gfinity, said:

“The drivers and teams yet again delivered world class competition and edge of the seat excitement for millions of fans across the globe. With every race the bar is being raised, with the drivers pushing each other to new levels. Bring on the next set of races. The Gfinity Arena is going to be rocking yet again.”

For more information on the 2019 F1 New Balance Esports Series visit www.f1esports.com.

ENDS

Formula 1 Press Office E: [email protected]

T: @f1media

Edelman Press Office

E: [email protected]

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About esports

Esports (electronic sports) is watching or playing competitive video gaming. Leading titles include League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Defense of the Ancients 2 (DotA 2), Call of Duty and Rocket League. The industry is growing rapidly, with new communities developing around more and more titles. The global esports market generated US$493 million of revenue in 2016 and is expected to make $1.5 billion by 2020. The global esports audience in 2017 was 191 million people, 80% under the age of 35 and 70% male (source: Newzoo). Online streaming channels Twitch and YouTube command the biggest audiences, although esports events are also now being broadcast on conventional TV. The 2015 League of Legends Championships finals in Berlin were watched by 36 million people, with a peak concurrent viewership of 14 million viewers, while at DotA 2’s flagship annual championship ‘The International 2016’ competitors from around the world competed for a prize pot of over $20 million.