F1® 2021 - F1® Esports Challengers Event 6

After five events and ten races, it’s time to decide who’s going to the Pro Exhibition. Event six, the final set of races in the F1^® Esports Series Challengers, starts this week, as the 16 talented drivers on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC head to Mexico’s virtual Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, before taking to Brazil’s Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Interlagos for the ultimate decider.

Having hosted F1^® races many times between 1962 and 1992, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez returned to the calendar in 2015, and has become a must-watch race. In real-life, the circuit is at one of the highest altitudes of the season, at a dizzying 2,200 metres above sea level, making the Mexican Grand Prix a more physically demanding track for the drivers. While the Challengers won’t have to deal with the more physical element, they will have to master the short and speedy circuit, spending over half the 4.3km long track on the throttle.

The Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, better known as Interlagos, has been hosting Grands Prix since 1973. In that time, it has often sat at the end or towards the end of the season, producing some dramatic and memorable races. The Challengers will need to carefully take to this classic, old-school circuit to cement their place with the F1 Esports pros.

Before event six gets underway, here’s how the standings on each platform look.

Xbox

Winning in Monza and COTA in the last event secured Tom Manley the championship on the Xbox side – with a staggering 231 points, he is now officially unreachable by the rest of the field. Second-place Ryan Jacobs’s points total of 125 has guaranteed him a place in the Pro Exhibition, though where in the top six he’ll finish is still to be decided. Behind the top two, there are four places to race for, and everyone placed 12th upwards has the mathematical possibility of getting one – the question is, who’ll grab them?

PlayStation

We didn’t just crown a champion on the Xbox side in event five; a double win from Joost Noordijk and a total of 168 points cemented his place in the top spot on PlayStation. While Matthew Alder and Duncan Hofland sit in second and third on 112 and 111, respectively, their places in the Pro Exhibition are not still not secure. The points in the PlayStation field are tantalisingly close, and with five spots up for grabs, it is all to play for in Mexico and Brazil.

PC

While Tomasz Poradzisz was just shy of the Challengers championship top spot in event five, he did guarantee his place in the Pro Exhibition, alongside second place and fellow Pole Piotr Stachulec. The PC Challengers go into the last event with four slots available, and drivers from 11th place (Ruben Vallejo) upwards all have a mathematical chance to grab one.

In case you need a reminder, each driver qualified for the Challengers via month-long in-game events held in F1^® 2021 through October and November last year. Racing on their individual platforms over 12 races, they’re aiming to grab one of just six places to head to the Pro Exhibition and the chance to be selected by one of 10 official F1® Esports teams.

The sixth and final event starts tonight from 7 pm GMT+1. As always, we’re starting with the Xbox side first, before the PlayStation and PC take their turns on Wednesday and Thursday. Make sure you watch it live on Formula 1®’s Twitch and our Facebook.

F1 Esports Series is promoted and operated by Formula One Digital Media Limited. For Official Rules, see f1esports.com/rules.