The new season of the F1 Esports Pro Championship is now well and truly underway, with some incredible racing already.
We paid a visit to the home of F1 Esports, the Gfinity Arena in London, to catch up with presenting and commentating trio Matt Gallagher, Tom Deacon, and Alex Jacques.
Here's what they had to say about the championship, and where it's headed in the future!
Drive to Survive... Live?
The hit Netflix series Drive to Survive has really helped bridge the gap between casual racing fans and die-hard F1 fanatics. With an exclusive look at what goes into being an F1 driver, it makes each race we get to see that bit more exciting.
So, what about an F1 Esports Drive to Survive? Naturally, there would have to be a different name, but Tom Deacon hit us with this awesome idea, "Imagine if there was a Pro Championship Drive to Survive, I'd love to see that!".
With F1 Esports going from strength to strength, prize pools growing, competition growing ever more fierce, it could well be time for an F1 Esports behind-the-scene mini-doc.
Many teams now have their own dedicated esports facilities for drivers to compete from, so simply a series taking a look at what goes into those would be incredible enough. Now for a name though... How to Drive Live? Needs a bit of work!
The rookie crowd
We've seen some incredible rookie drives in conventional Formula One. Naturally, many will think of Lewis Hamilton and Jacques Villeneuve's debut seasons, both of whom took second in the driver's world championship.
Well, thanks to the growing popularity of the series, the quality of drivers is rapidly improving, and this is leading to some phenomenally fast rookies.
The whole race is incredible enough to watch. However, the constant stream of new faces coming through and making an impact is really taking the competitiveness to the next level.
Matt summarised this well by saying that, "qualifying is separated by a tenth of a second, and it's staggering". With 20 drivers, old and new, setting lap times within just over half a second of each other, it's no wonder that veteran drivers are meeting their match now more than ever.
The facilities
Finally, and the word on every interviewee's lips, was the esports facilities that the teams have created. With dedicated rigs, and now staff as well to help support the drivers at the F1 HQs, F1 Esports is really going to the next level.
The future of the esport, for some, even takes place at these facilities. Matt mentioned taking the racing from the factories to the circuits themselves, and we're here for that, "I would like to see [...] a round at an actual Grand Prix".
Undoubtedly, there's a bright future for the competitors and teams. With F1 involvement increasing year on year, as well as the quality of driving and background support, it's a good time to be a fan of F1 Esports.