Mercedes, a global automobile giant, is launching its own eSports team. The company has signed inaugural Formula 1 eSports champion Brendon Leigh as the lead driver.
Leigh, who defeated Fabrizio Donoso Delgado and Sven Zurner in a controversial final last year, will defend his drivers’ championship with Mercedes.
Leigh stated, “The pressure is somewhat enormous to defend this championship.”
“I’m going to walk into the finals with the biggest target on my back that I’ve ever had in my life. The intensity has risen tenfold.”
The 19-year-old will compete alongside 2017 McLaren World’s Fastest Gamer finalist Harry Jacks, multiple-Polish sim racing champion Patryk Krutyi and Dani Bereznay, who was selected by the team in July’s Pro Draft.
The team will be based at Brackley alongside its real-life F1 team.
It will use a “purpose-built eSports training centre, which will provide the team’s gamers with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to develop their skills,” according to Mercedes a statement.
The eSports team will be based in the same building as Mercedes’ “F1 Driver in Loop Simulator.”
“The eSports programme will benefit from transferable elements pertinent to optimising car set-up and honing racecraft.”
“The programme also focuses on human performance and will give the eSports team members access to the on-site Performance Centre covering the core areas of nutrition, physical conditioning and wellbeing that support the gamers in reaching their full potential.”
The quartet will start competing in October in the next stage of the F1 2018 eSports series.
F1 eSports 2018 line-up so far
Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport
Brendon Leigh, Harry Jacks, Patryk Krutyi, Daniel Bereznay
Red Bull Racing eSports
Joni Tormala, Graham Carroll
Renault Sport Team Vitality
Sven Zurner, Kimmy Larsson, James Doherty
Haas F1
Martin Stefanko, Michal Smidl Hype Energy
eForce India
Fabrizio Donoso Delgado, Mads Sorensen, Marcel Kiefer
McLaren Shadow
Olli Pahkala
Toro Rosso
Cem Bolukbasi, Patrick Holzmann Sauber Salih Saltunc, Allert van der Wal, Sonuc Saltunc
Williams eSports
Tino Naukkarinen
Source: autosport.com
Mercedes announces eSports team, signs Brendon Leigh
ByNiji Narayan
Aug 10, 2018
By Niji Narayan
Niji Narayan has been in the writing industry for well over a decade or so. He prides himself as one of the few survivors left in the world who have actually mastered the impossible art of copy editing. Niji graduated in Physics and obtained his Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism. He has always interested in sports writing and travel writing. He has written for numerous websites and his in-depth analytical articles top sports magazines like Cricket Today and Sports Today. He reports gaming industry headlines from all around the globe.