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WATCH: First look at the new F1 Esports Facebook documentary
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The inaugural F1 Esports Series Pro Draft took place earlier this month, and now you have the chance go behind the scenes to witness the world's best sim racers battle it out to discover which Formula 1 team’s colours they'd be sporting this season.
With unrivalled access to the drivers and the pro teams, the four-part series charts the story of the process, from assessment days at Silverstone before the British Grand Prix right through to the live selection show in London, which was attended by Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly.
Broadcast on Facebook and selected TV broadcasters, the action - which you can watch a teaser of above - starts on Wednesday 25th July at 2000 BST. Here’s what viewers can expect:
Episode 1 – 25th July 2000 BST Tom Deacon is joined by F1 commentator Jack Nicholls as the first ever F1 Esports pro draft gets underway at the iconic Silverstone Circuit. 40 of the world’s best sim drivers are put through a variety of challenges over the course of three days to see who has what it takes to join a Professional F1 team. Up first: The Sim Racing challenge.
Episode 2 – 22nd August 2000 BST As the F1 Esports Pro Draft continues, the 40 drivers go head to head in a series of challenges to prove why they should be selected by an F1 team. The drivers are tested not only on their skills as an individual, but also how they operate as a team. Tom Deacon is joined by Matt Gallagher as the drivers are tested on a series of mental and physical challenges from The Pitstop Challenge to the Reaction test. They are also put through their paces at the go kart track as they battle it out for first place.
Episode 3 – 5th September 2000 BST The final challenges conclude at Silverstone as the drivers tackle some tough questioning from the F1 teams in the Interview Round. Who will crack under the pressure and who will shine through before the drivers head off to the live show at the Gfinity Arena? Tom Deacon welcomes the drivers to the live Pro Draft show where the F1 teams have some tough decisions to make as the results of the past three days assessments are revealed.
Episode 4 – 26th September 2000 BST Tom Deacon is joined by a plethora of F1 guests as the live Pro Draft show continues. Who has done enough to be selected by an F1 team and who will go home disappointed? Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen and Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly are among the F1 team representatives making the decisions that will change the lives of these drivers forever.
“It has been quite the journey for these drivers to emerge as the world’s best on our official F1 game to partake in our inaugural F1 Esports Pro Draft,” says Julian Tan, Head of Growth and Esports at Formula 1.
“This four-part episodic series will tell the story of these drivers, who were flown from across the globe into the historic Silverstone circuit to take part in this. There they were assessed on all aspects from sim racing and fitness to media readiness and go-karting, eventually earning a chance to be picked by an official F1 team.”
“The episodic series will also shed light into the F1 teams, providing a behind-the-scenes look into their objectives and plans in esports and what they are looking for in their future esports drivers. No doubt, we will have some interesting content in these episodes as we build up the excitement leading into our first ever F1 Esports Pro Series Championship later in the season.”
You can catch all of the Facebook shows on the live stream page on F1Esports.com.
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