Formula 1\u00ae has announced the return of the F1 Sim Racing World Championship for 2026.<\/p>\n
The season will kick off with a launch at DreamHack Birmingham from 27\u201329 March, marking the first time the world-renowned esports festival has been held in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n
The 2026 campaign features a significant structural evolution, with the championship moving to a bespoke, multi-purpose studio facility at Formula 1\u2019s Media and Technology Centre in Biggin Hill for the final three events.<\/p>\n
This multi-million-pound investment provides a permanent, state-of-the-art home for the series, placing sim racing at the physical heart of F1\u2019s technical operations.<\/p>\n
CEO of ESL FACEIT Group, Niccolo Maisto, described the partnership as a \u201cmassive collision of worlds,\u201d bringing the prestige of F1 to the raw energy of the UK gaming community.<\/p>\n
A $750,000 Battle Across 12 Rounds<\/p>\n
The championship will see nine official F1 teams\u2014including Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren\u2014fielding elite three-driver esports rosters.<\/p>\n
The Format: Over 12 rounds, the grid will compete in full qualifying sessions and 50% distance races.
\nThe Stakes: Drivers and teams are chasing a share of a massive $750,000 prize pool.
\nThe Teams: Alpine, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Haas, McLaren, Mercedes, Racing Bulls, Red Bull, and Williams.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe return of the F1 Sim Racing World Championship in 2026 marks an exciting chapter,\u201d said Emily Prazer, Chief Commercial Officer of Formula 1. \u201cOur investment in a purpose-built facility reinforces our long-term commitment and provides a permanent home for the championship\u2019s future growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
DreamHack Birmingham: The Ultimate Fanzone<\/p>\n
The season opener at the NEC in Birmingham is expected to attract over 50,000 fans. The event will feature a dedicated F1 Sim Racing Fanzone, allowing attendees to engage directly with simulators and meet the drivers from the sim racing paddock.<\/p>\n
Global Broadcast Strategy<\/p>\n
Fans worldwide can follow the action live across Formula 1\u2019s official YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch channels.<\/p>\n
The 2026 season aims to build on record-breaking digital engagement figures from previous years, further solidifying sim racing as a critical pillar of the F1 commercial ecosystem.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t miss out on the latest in sports business \u2013 Subscribe today to the\u00a0free Ministry of Sport newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and stay ahead of the game. For even more exclusive insights, event tickets, professional development and networking events, become a\u00a0MoS Member today!<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Formula 1\u00ae has announced the return of the F1 Sim Racing World Championship for 2026. The season will…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":552292,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,813,816,85],"class_list":["post-552291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=552291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/552292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=552291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=552291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=552291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}