gaming

Nascar and F1 Hold Virtual Sunday Races

If you ain't virtual, you're last
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F1

· less than 3 min read

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Holding a race in real life:
Have to wear uniforms
Dangerous
Subject to the whims of Mother Earth
Capped attendance

Streaming a virtual race:
Drivers can wear PJs
Encourages digital risk-taking
You are the weathermaster
Anyone can tune in

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, two storied racing outfits are embracing the virtual format. No word yet on whether their drivers wore PJs.

Formula One

F1 drivers competed in the first ever Virtual Grand Prix yesterday set in Bahrain, sparing many tires from a speedy demise. Drivers played a half-length circuit on the official F1 2019 PC video game, and Formula One broadcast it through official streaming channels and its website. The league will continue with virtual competitions every race weekend through May. The winners:


F1
Bahrain virtual GP Top 10

The race peaked at 350,000+ viewers across Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook streams (not including some Sky Sports viewers).

If you ain't virtual, you're last

Ricky Bobby didn't want to lose the season to French F1 driver Jean Girard; and Nascar doesn't want the mainly European F1 being the only virtual racing league.

Yesterday, Fox Sports aired its eNascar virtual alternative to the Homestead-Miami Speedway Cup Series race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kurt and Kyle Busch were among the 35 racers who completed 100 1.5 mile laps, strapped into a fairly elaborate gaming rig. There were many crashes but no one was hurt. One driver ran into the wall when his computer tried to push a Windows update mid-race.

Sports around the world are disrupted

F1 and Nascar moved quickly to transition their seasons to the virtual realm. These races will be harder to monetize, since they remove live event and TV revenues from the equation.

What I'm wondering: Would U.S. fans go for baseball, basketball, or football pros playing the video game equivalent of their professional sport? Respond and let me know.

Bottom line: As the quarantine drags on, sports leagues are looking for alternative means of holding competitions and engaging fans. This may soon apply to the Olympics, which could get delayed to 2021.

+ While we're here: In October, I interviewed Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff about the role of emerging tech in F1.

Keep up with the innovative tech transforming business

Tech Brew keeps business leaders up-to-date on the latest innovations, automation advances, policy shifts, and more, so they can make informed decisions about tech.