Motorsport UK and Williams Esports sign new partnership

26 June 2024

Earlier this month, Motorsport UK caught the UK esports spotlights when they launched the Rookie Sports Car Cup. The United Kingdom’s national motorsport membership and governing body for all four-wheel motorsport in the region wants to use the new competition to support players who are just starting out as esports racers, making it a very interesting and valuable addition to the world of esports in the UK.

The reason we are bringing this up is that Motorsport UK has grabbed esports headlines once again, this time not with a new cup competition, but with a new partnership. The organisation has signed an agreement with Williams Esports, the esports team of legendary Formula 1 team Williams Grand Prix Engineering. Together, they will be working on the driver selections in both F4 and GT Esports competitions during the FIA Motorsport Games this year.

Active involvement in selection process

The announcement was made as the preparations for the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games are getting into gear. From October 23rd to October 27th, 2024, the event will be taking place in Valencia (Spain) and it will feature two esports competitions across two separate gaming titles.

• GT Esports: in this category, the Assetto Corsa Competizione game will be used to create a virtual version FIA Formula 4, focusing more on longer races with a mandatory pit stop.

• Esports FIA F4: similar to the above, but with a bigger focus on shorter sprint races.

The idea behind the new collaboration between Motorsport UK and Williams Esports is for both parties to get heavily involved in the driver selection process for the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games. This includes pre-event training and support, as well as on-site guidance during the tournament itself. The final decision as to which drivers will be selected for Team UK in the event’s esports categories lies with Motorsport UK.

Online qualifiers

In order to make the driver selection, a series of online qualifying sessions will be organised. The goal is to identify the best 15 drivers in each of the two previously mentioned categories, who will then be invited to complete a final assessment at Williams HQ in Grove, Oxfordshire. Eventually, just one driver from each category will be selected to join Team UK for the upcoming 2024 FIA Motorsport Games.

“We’re proud to be supporting Team UK in the FIA Motorsport Games”, says Steven English, Director of Esports at Williams, “We’ve developed a high-performance team and coaching structure at Williams Esports that has created many champions and delivered many trophies during our time in sim racing. We’re delighted to have been appointed by Motorsport UK to represent our country in international competition. We’re delighted to be able to use our recently launched Williams Gaming Club community platform to host the qualifying phase, and also to invite the top candidates to the in-person assessment in the Esports Lounge at Williams Racing HQ. We’re able to give all UK sim racers the opportunity to prove themselves, to earn the right to represent Team UK, and to enjoy an exclusive experience at the home of Williams in the process.”

Credit Photo: WilliamsF1.com