F1 Esports – Round 4, 5 and 6: Fierce Battle between Red Bull and Alfa Romeo

If the first three races had been relatively dominated by Alfa Romeo and more specifically Jarno Opmeer, who managed to make the alternate strategy work and snatch victory in the inaugural race in Bahrain and then in China after a fierce battle with the two Red Bull drivers.

Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort

During the 4th race of this season, it was Frederik Rasmussen who prevailed over the Dutch driver of Alfa Romeo thanks to an overtaking maneuver at the first corner of the penultimate lap. It is the first victory of the season for the Dane. An important victory for his championship after a strategic error in Vietnam cost him a good finishing position. It was therefore crucial to raise his game to beat these formidable opponents from Alfa Romeo.

TOUR 24|25 ????????

Rasmussen vient de dépasser Jarno Opmeer pour la victoire dans l’avant-dernier tour ????#F1Esports pic.twitter.com/CPt6WFL8qW

— Motors Inside – F1 ???????? (@MotorsInside) November 4, 2020

On the alternative strategy, the two Renaults were going to be forced to make numerous overtakes at the end of the race. Although a spin by Fabrizio Donoso Delgado prevented us from seeing his progress, his teammate Nicolas Longuet put on a great show on the track. Much faster than his competitors with his new soft tires, the Frenchman managed to string together impressive overtakes and offered the spectators a thrilling battle with the double champion Brendon Leigh.

Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal

The next race sees Jarno Opmeer climb back to the top step of the podium in Canada. Starting from 3rd, the championship leader once again took advantage of the alternative strategy to move up through the entire field before reaching the current champion, David Tonizza. The Dutchman was 1 second per lap faster than everyone else and quickly appeared in the rear-view mirrors of the Ferrari. A bit impatient, Opmeer attempted an overtaking maneuver in a tight corner exit, forcing Tonizza to hit the wall. One lap before the end of the Grand Prix, the red car, pushed against the wall, was launched into the air and forced to retire. It seems this incident was caused by a game bug that prevented Opmeer from seeing Tonizza from the start of the race. The driver was therefore not penalized, but Tonizza’s race was indeed ruined.

TOUR 20|25 ????????

???????????? ÉNORME CRASH !!!

Gros accident entre Jarno Opmeer et David Tonizza. La Ferrari de l’Italien s’est envolé dans les airs après avoir été poussé contre le mur #F1Esports pic.twitter.com/VgBibuVCkA

— Motors Inside – F1 ???????? (@MotorsInside) November 4, 2020

The Red Bulls, for their part, finish 2nd and 3rd to the advantage of Frederik Rasmussen. Following them is Nicolas Longuet, who secures another solid result for Renault. For now, the Frenchman has scored 60 points and holds the 4th position in the drivers’ championship. He is also the one who has brought in more than 90% of the points for the French team.

Special mention to Dani Moreno who finished 5th in the race. The McLaren driver has been performing miracles since the start of the season by consistently scoring points despite sometimes starting relatively far from the Top 10.

Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg

It’s Alvaro Carreton’s Williams that started from pole position. The Spanish driver is the youngest poleman in the history of F1 Esports at only 18 years old, but unfortunately for him, he could only secure 4th position.

This 6th race of 2020 was an example of team play that should be analyzed and shown to all other e-sport teams due to the intelligence of its strategy. Starting from 3rd and 4th, the Red Bull drivers had the opportunity to overtake their great rival Jarno Opmeer at the start of the Grand Prix, finding themselves on the provisional podium.

Following each other throughout the beginning of the race, the Red Bull drivers protected each other using DRS and ERS from Opmeer’s attacks.

In the 7th lap, the Red Bull drivers executed a magnificent double overtake on Carreton to take the first and second positions of the GP. In the final laps of the race, the two drivers called upon their team spirit. Instead of fighting each other at the risk of being overtaken by Opmeer due to fresher tires, they took turns using the ERS to always have energy to deploy, thus protecting themselves on the straight. Therefore, despite his alternative strategy that allowed him to recover in Canada, Jarno Opmeer was not able to take the lead of the race here.

This 1-2 Red Bull is the second of this season for a team after Alfa Romeo in Bahrain during the first race.

Note the 6th place of Simon Weigang, marking Haas’s best result this season. Similar to the real 2020 Formula 1 season, the American team also struggles in Esports with numerous eliminations in Q1 and a weak last position in the championship with only 12 points.

Driver standings after 6 races:

Team ranking