The Scuderia Ferrari Velas Esports Team is ready to do battle in the new F1 Esports Series Pro Championship’s new season. The line-up features three excellent drivers so that the main aim is to win the team prize.
Maximise the talent. With this in mind, the team is adopting a different approach to the season, starting with the choice of drivers. The three who will fly the flag for the Scuderia Ferrari Velas Esports Team are very experienced sim drivers: the 2019 world champion, David Tonizza, the 2017 and 2018 title winner Brendon Leigh and the 2017 runner-up Fabrizio Donoso. All three will take part in the races, and have prepared on the specific tracks at which they will race. In the first round, Brendon will be in all three races, Bahrain, Imola and Great Britain. Fabrizio will tackle Sakhir and Silverstone. David, who has been racing in other series these past few months, is now preparing specifically for Imola. For the first round, all competitors will be connected remotely, as has been the case for the past two years. Brendon, Fabrizio and David will race from a new facility within the Scuderia Ferrari headquarters.
Programme. The F1 2022 game features the F1-75 car and they will be on track tomorrow as from 16.35 CEST, for the opening race in Bahrain, starting with qualifying followed by the race at 20.50. The same timings apply the following day for the Imola race, while on Friday, the final race of this round runs on the Silverstone circuit.
Longer races. As part of the new format, the events run from Wednesday to Friday with longer races. Race distance has gone up from 35% last year to 50% of the real race distances. This should make for more interesting strategy options, especially in terms of tyre compound choices. Scuderia Ferrari Velas Esports is ready to battle and fight for the title.
Fabrizio Donoso, Sim Driver #8
"I can’t wait to start my first season with the Scuderia Ferrari Velas Esports Team. It’s an honour to sport these colours and be part of the Ferrari family. Preparations for the season have gone according to plan and motivation is at a very high level. I am looking forward to joining Brendon and David on track as we try to achieve the goals we have set ourselves."
Brendon Leigh, Sim Driver #72
"The championship is finally starting and within the team we are more prepared than ever for the challenge that lies ahead. I’ve lost track of the number of hours of training we have put in, but I’d say we’re all set. We have prepared every last detail in the simulator as well as every other off-track aspect such as physical and mental preparation. Personally, I am particularly proud to represent Ferrari for a second season. I will do my very best on every lap, at every corner and for every second."
David Tonizza, Sim Driver #95
"This year, the Scuderia Ferrari Velas Esports Team is working on several fronts and my season started very early. For this first event, I have prepared for the race at Imola, one of my favourite tracks and I will do my very best to bring home as many points as possible. I am very motivated and I can’t wait to get into my virtual cockpit."
Marco Matassa, Team Principal Scuderia Ferrari Velas Esports Team
"For our first season as Scuderia Ferrari Velas Esports Team we decided to strengthen still further our driver line-up. Brendon and David are one of the strongest pairings in the Esports world and to that, we have added Fabrizio, who has impressed us in training. We want to go for the drivers’ title as well as the teams’ one, which has eluded us so far. Therefore, at each round we will enter the drivers that have prepared for the specific tracks. Fabrizio, David and Brendon will work as a group, motivating one another, creating the right spirit for the whole team to make progress. I am sure we will see three sim drivers all pulling together, putting the interests of the team first and that will produce great results."