eSports

The Final event of the 2018 New Balance F1 Esports Pro Series saw third slip away from Hype Energy eForce India.

On the final night of racing it was all to play for in the 2018 F1 Esports Pro Series, Hype Energy eForce India were right in the mix as they chased down third position in the championship. Four races across two days including a 50% race in Abu Dhabi would conclude the championship. Germany, Singapore and COTA would make up the other three races, with COTA and Abu Dhabi broadcast live from the Gfinity Esports Arena. eForce India's closest rivals in the race for third were Sauber and Red Bull, however the F1 Esports Pro Series is known for throwing up surprises and so it came to be by the end of the 2018 championship. Friday's racing at Germany saw Fabrizio Donoso Delgado and Marcel Kiefer line up on the grid, a strong race from Donoso had him come home in 4th while Kiefer would squeeze into the points in 9th. With Singapore up next and the tight twisty track providing the anti-thesis to the classic German track the team decided to field Mads Sørensen in place of Donoso. Kiefer's pace shone through as he started 4th on the grid, battled hard and brought it home on the podium, his third of the season for Hype Energy eForce India. Sørensen would have to have to deal with damage on lap one and couldn't make it into the points. The results of Friday's racing put eForce India ahead of Sauber and Red Bull Racing with just two races to go. However the double points race in Abu Dhabi would play a key role in the championship. Saturday night would kick off with Circuit of the Americas, broadcast live on the official stream, a favourite amongst the drivers and a track with plenty of overtaking opportunities. Starting 6th and 10th it looked like Kiefer and Donoso would be able to score more points but a bad start for Donoso dropped him back, from where he was never able to fully recover, 14th place at the flag for the young Chilean. Kiefer was battling the entire race, involved in a multi car fight for the spots just outside the podium, however a penalty for multiple track limit warnings would put paid to any chance of a good points haul. His final finish of 7th an opportunity missed in the tight championship fight. Watch all the episodes from Hype Energy eForce India on YouTube For the final race of the evening, and of the series, the 2018 F1 Esports Pro Series would visit Abu Dhabi, scene of last year's epic battle between Donoso and eventual championship winner Brendon Leigh. A 50% race, bringing more strategic elements into play and offering double points for whoever could make it into the points. Kiefer started 7th with Donoso just behind in 9th, however a huge crash on lap 1 saw damage to Kiefer's car and pushed him to the back of the field, leaving him with a mountain to climb if he was to finish in the points. While the battling up front would take centre stage Marcel was working his way through the field while Donoso tried to negotiate traffic, aware that every point was critical in the championship fight. The double points of the race came to bite as McLaren and Sauber both finished higher up the field, McLaren would surprise the field with a 60 point swing, benefiting from a battle for 1st amongst Mercedes and Toro Rosso. At the chequered flag it would be eForce India who lost out, pipped to third by Sauber and overtaken by McLaren at the last hurdle, 5th place in the championship the final spot for the team. 2018 has seen the F1 Esports Pro Series go from strength to strength, with a more competitive field than ever and action across all three live events, Hype Energy eForce India has been in the thick of it and can look back at a successful season competition on the global stage. Follow Hype Energy eForce India: Twitter: twitter.com/eForceIndiaF1 Facebook: facebook.com/eForceIndiaF1 Instagram: instagram.com/eForceIndiaF1

The 2nd live event of the F1 New Balance Esports Pro Series took place at Paul Ricard, Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps.

A lot of energy was felt through the wet French qualifiers, with Marcel Kiefer qualifying in P4, finishing the race in fifth position. Mads Sørensen was ahead for a brief moment due to an alternative strategy, but unfortunately suffered a track-limit penalty, finishing the race in P12. The second qualifying session represented a big opportunity for Hype Energy eForce India. With the weather clearing up, Fabrizio Donoso Delgado returned to the car to qualify in P2 with Marcel Kiefer right behind in P4. With Donoso in the lead after overtaking championship leader Brendon Leigh on the Hangar Straight, he suffered a 5 second penalty due to speeding in the pits, which resulted in a total penalty of 15 seconds. With no hope to recover, Donoso finished his second race in P14. Kiefer went ahead and battled it out with Salih Saltunc, before being involved in a collision. He was still able to claim P3, securing his second podium of the season.

Another podium to celebrate and a third place in the championship to fight for in the final round.

The second night of action in the #F1Esports Series was a blast for @eForceIndiaF1: https://t.co/NiDoeBT4gg pic.twitter.com/t0pUn39dWU

— SportPesa Racing Point F1 Esports Team (@eRacingPointF1) November 2, 2018

The 3rd and final race started strong with Donoso in P3. Unfortunately another time penalty of three-seconds due to exceeding track limits meant that he had to settle for P7. Kiefer faced damage to his car in the opening stages, which lead to him finishing outside the points. Through an eventful 2nd event, Hype Energy eForce India is now one point away from 3rd position in the 2018 Championship. Make sure to tune in to the final live show which will feature four races, including a double points season finale in Abu Dhabi on November 16th and 17th.

Follow Hype Energy eForce India: Twitter: twitter.com/eForceIndiaF1 Facebook: facebook.com/eForceIndiaF1 Instagram: instagram.com/eForceIndiaF1

A night of close racing and battling proved the value of Formula 1's Esports program

The 2018 F1 New Balance Esports Pro Series started kicked off as rounds 1, 2 and 3 delivered exciting racing and a podium finish for Hype Energy eForce India. Marcel Kiefer and Fabrizio Donoso Delgado were the two drivers picked to compete the official esports team of Racing Point Force India at Australia, China and Baku. A training camp and evaluation period held before the event had allowed the team to see how the drivers compared, ultimately Mads Soerensen was chosen to be the one taking the role of reserve driver for the races. In qualifying for round 1 at Australia Delgado was able to clinch 6th but a mistake on his hot lap cost him the chance of going higher, Kiefer would line up in 8th. The race saw issues for both early on and they were forced to adopt sub-optimal strategies, eventually coming home 11th and 13th respectively. Round 2 in China saw a rain hit qualifying session and meant Donoso and Kiefer secured 3rd and 4th on the grid. Strong races from both had them came home in the same positions to secure the first podium for the team. A strong showing and positive signs for the two drivers, their pace was good and indicated that with an incident free race they could be battling at the front. Baku would be the third and final race of the night, Donoso had clipped the wall in qualifying and was unable to set a time, while would Kiefer start in 12th. A long first stint for Donoso who had started at the back allowed him to run in clean air and his strategy gamble paid off, coming home in 9th to claim 2 championship points. Kiefer made up positions at the start but would ultimately bring his car home in 15th. The results meant Hype Energy eForce India finished the night in 4th place in the constructors championship. A very competitive field and close racing showed exactly why F1 Esports deserves a place on the calendar, the next live event will take place on October 31st with the third and final live event on November 16th and 17th. Relive the action from the first live event broadcast Follow Hype Energy eForce India: Twitter: twitter.com/eForceIndiaF1 Facebook: facebook.com/eForceIndiaF1 Instagram: instagram.com/eForceIndiaF1

F1 New Balance Esports Pro Series kicks off October 10th at the Gfinity Esports Arena

The Pro Draft is a distant memory for the Hype Energy eForce India team, 4 months on and the 2018 F1 new Balance Esports Pro Series is about to begin, but for Fabrizio, Mads and Marcel the start of the season will be their first chance to show the world just how quick they are in their new team. The first event will feature rounds 1 to 3 of the season, held at Australia, China and Baku. Each round will consist of a 20 minute practice session, short qualifying sessions and then a 25% race. Unlike real life F1, the performance of each car in the F1 Esports Series will be the same across the grid, irrespective of the team. This should help deliver close racing and wheel to wheel action as race results will all come down to driver ability. No driver assists will be allowed and the drivers will be able to bring custom setups for the races. F1 2018 by Codemasters brings new handling and physic updates to the series so the drivers who are familiar with last year's game from the 2017 F1 Esports Series will need to rehone their skills in preparation for the new season. Dynamic weather in the game will bring an extra element of strategy and skill, the drivers who will succeed are those that can read the conditions and pull off the right strategy, unlike in real life F1, there isn’t a strategy team to help make those calls, it’ll be up to the drivers to do it all during the race! Fabrizio Donoso Delgado: The 2017 F1 Esports Series runner up is back and ready to go one better this year, he's ironed out his weaknesses from last year and will be a hot pick to challenge for the top step. Mads Sørensen: Mads comes with lots of speed, the recipient of the DHL Fastest Lap award at the 2017 F1 Esports Series finals and with mature approach to his racecraft he'll be pushing hard for a space on the team. Marcel Kiefer: A relative novice to the world of sim racing, Marcel hails from Germany and has proven his speed in Apex Online Racing and in the 2017 F1 Esports Series, he's determined and faster than ever! You will be able to watch the first live event via f1esports.com and support Hype Energy eForce India as they bid for victory. Watch episode 1 of 'Hype Energy Esports How To', a series that takes you behind the scenes to show you the skills and work needed to perform at the top level of esports. Follow Hype Energy eForce India: Twitter: twitter.com/eForceIndiaF1 Facebook: facebook.com/eForceIndiaF1 Instagram: instagram.com/eForceIndiaF1 Images Credit: Joe Brady Photography, courtesy of Formula 1 and Gfinity