Today, Ferrari has announced the return of the Ferrari Esports Series for 2023, which kicks off with a live show on Thursday, April 6, on the FerrariEsports Twitch. This year for the first time the competition is open to the Asia-Pacific region with local territories competing in their own heats before facing off against the winning racers from Europe and North America.

The Ferrari Esports Series is a six-month racing tournament bringing together sim racers from Europe, North America and Asian Pacific regions for a chance to race in the grand final on October 12. Drivers will be going head-to-head playing on Assetto Corsa and Assetto Corsa Competizione to compete for the title of the 2023 Ferrari Esports Champion and the chance to secure their place on the Scuderia Ferrari Esports team.

Alongside the racing calendar, Ferrari’s 2023 Esports Series introduces a season of video content, opening with the Series’ launch show on April 6. Hosts Julia Hardy and Mike Channell will be your presenters as they bring viewers all the news, updates and action from the season of racing.

The season of content includes:

·     Ferrari 101 – returning for 2023 across five episodes, sharing advice and tips for aspiring sim racers. 

·     Off The Grid – A three-part documentary series following last year’s Ferrari Esports Series winner Jonathan Riley, showing the emotional and personal experience of being a leading sim racer.

The full season of racing will be broadcast on Twitch, YouTube and Facebook.

The schedule for all the action starts on April 6 with the Launch show before the season kicks off with the Qualifiers:

·     Qualifier 1 - Thursday, July 20. Qualifier 2 - Thursday, August 24. Qualifier 3 - Tuesday, September 12.

·     APAC Regional - Saturday, September 23. NA Regional - Sunday, September 24. EU Regional Saturday, September 30.

·     Grand Final Pre-Show - Wednesday, October 11. Grand Final - Thursday, October 12.

"The Ferrari Esports Series is not like any other sim racing competition,” said Jonathan Riley, 2022 Ferrari Esports Champion. “It’s six intense months of high-speed racing against the world’s best amateur sim racers, all with one common goal in mind. It’s a chance to sit among the best sim drivers and compete for the greatest motorsport brand in the world."

The Ferrari Esports Series 2023 launch show airs on April 6 at [7PM CEST, 6PM BST, 10AM PST] April 7 [2AM AEDT] on Twitch.tv/FerrariEsports. Viewers will be treated to a detailed look at the season ahead, plus a live interview with the current champion, Jonathan Riley, as he talks about life on the team and his expectations for the season to come.

About Ferrari Esports Series

The Ferrari Esports Series is the premiere racing competition for amateur drivers, providing a global platform for drivers to showcase their skills. The series is open to drivers in the APAC, Europe, and North America regions. For more information, visit ferrariesports.com.

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Santander

Banco Santander (SAN SM, STD US, BNC LN) is a leading retail and commercial bank, founded in 1857 and headquartered in Spain.

It has a meaningful presence in 10 core markets in Europe, North America and South America regions, and is one of the largest banks in the world by market capitalization. Its purpose is to help people and businesses prosper in a simple, personal and fair way. Santander is building a more responsible bank and has made a number of commitments to support this objective, including raising over €120 billion in green financing between 2019 and 2025, as well as financially empowering more than 10 million people over the same period. At the end of 2021, Banco Santander had €1.15 trillion in total funds, 153 million customers, of which 25.4 million are loyal and 47.4 million are digital, 9,900 branches and 197,000 employees.

Thrustmaster

Guillemot Corporation is a designer and manufacturer of interactive entertainment hardware and accessories. The Group offers a diversified range of products under the Hercules and THRUSTMASTER brand names. Active in this market since 1984, the Guillemot Corporation Group is currently present in 11 countries (France, Germany, Spain, the UK, the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, China [Hong Kong] and Romania) and distributes its products in more than 85 countries worldwide. The Group’s mission is to offer high-performance, ergonomic products which maximize the enjoyment of digital interactive entertainment for end users. www.guillemot.com 

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Bitdefender

Bitdefender provides cybersecurity solutions with leading security efficacy, performance, and ease of use to enterprise organizations and consumers.

Guided by a vision to be the world’s most trusted cybersecurity solutions provider, Bitdefender is committed to defending organizations and individuals around the globe against cyberattacks to transform and improve their digital experience.

Richard Mille

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RICHARD MILLE’S success is a product of three crucial elements: the best of cutting-edge innovative technology, a strong, imaginative artistic and architectural dimension, and watches designed to be resistant and ergonomic.

The Brand endeavors to apply the techniques and materials found in the most innovative sectors such as in the domains of F1 racing car development and the aerospace industry to watchmaking, with the goal of creating extreme timepieces, without gimmicks, and extend the field of horological knowledge and invention.

KUNOS Simulazioni

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The "Assetto Corsa '' racing game is the best result of this vision, turning a driving simulation into one of the most recognized and popular brands of racing videogames, a benchmark in terms of car handling, visual realism and track accuracy. www.assettocorsa.net