Ferrari HP Esports Series launches 2025 season

The Ferrari HP Esports Series launches its sixth edition today (1 April), with an action-packed season set to start in June of this year. Six months of sim-racing will follow, culminating in a LAN Grand Final at Ferrari World Yas Island in December.

2025 marks an important milestone for the Ferrari HP Esports Series, as the competition expands to encompass China as part of the three regions covered by the series. Multiple competitive stages will be taking place in EMEA, APAC, and the Americas (NA & SA), as the season builds to the Grand Final in Abu Dhabi.

Over 17,000 people registered for last year’s series, with drivers from ten different countries making it to the Grand Final. Luke Whitehead took the crown, with overall victories in two out of three categories to become the 2024 Ferrari HP Esports Series Champion.

Luke Whitehead, 2024 Ferrari HP Esports Series Champion, said: "Having taken part in last year's Ferrari HP Esports Series, I am super excited to see how the 2025 iteration pans out...

"It's a fantastic opportunity to rub doors with some of the best across three varied sims, to show your skills and win a once in a lifetime prize."

Rong Chen, Ferrari HP Esports Series Manager, commented: "After a brief break in December, we're excited to kick off the new season of the Ferrari HP Esports Series with greater competition and more thrilling action."

Tiziana Mecozzi, Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team Manager, added: "The Ferrari HP Esports Series represents a unique pathway for sim-racers and enthusiasts worldwide to show their talent, following the dream of joining the Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team.

"Jonathan Riley, Isaac Gillissen, Gergo Baldi, and Luke Whitehead are just a few of the talents that have won the latest editions of the championship and reached the goal of representing the Prancing Horse on and off the track."

2 June - 28 July: Global Hot Laps
1 August - 12 September: Thrustmaster Community Cup
1 September - 6 October: Regional Qualifiers
8 October - 9 November: Regional Finals
3 December: LAN Grand Final

Ferrari’s 2025 esports efforts spring to life with Global Hot Laps. Spread across two months, the Global Hot Laps will give all who enter the chance to earn a spot in the Regional Qualifiers on one of three gaming platforms - Assetto Corsa, Assetto Corsa Competizione, and iRacing.

Only the ten most talented drivers per game in each region will progress from the Regional Qualifiers into the Regional Finals, where they will join the Top 20 from each region on their respective racing platform who qualified automatically through the Global Hot Laps.

The Regional Finals will be shown live on Ferrari’s YouTube and Twitch channels. The LAN Grand Final at the start of December, featuring the Top 13 across all three regions and all three games, will offer the exciting opportunity to compete in front of an additional live audience at Ferrari World Yas Island.

The 2025 Ferrari HP Esports Series will allow players of all calibre to put themselves to the test and experience high-adrenaline virtual motorsport. Open to non-professionals, the Thrustmaster Community Cup introduces an international leaderboard, offering everyone an equal chance to compete to reach the highest level.

Held over six rounds, the winner of the final round of the Thrustmaster Community Cup will enter the Ferrari HP Esports Series LAN Grand Final as a wildcard entry to complete a 14-driver grid in Abu Dhabi.

In addition to the challenge of racing on multiple tracks across three games, players in the Grand Final will also have three cars to get to grips with. As they fight for promotion through the ranks, contestants will be competing in the Ferrari 488 GT3 EVO (Assetto Corsa), the Ferrari 296 GT3 (Assetto Corsa Competizione), and the Ferrari 499P (iRacing).

The sign-up process for the global 2025 Ferrari HP Esports Series is now open. For more details or to submit your entry, please head to the Ferrari HP Esports Series website (esportsseries.ferrari.com).