June 7, 2022
Nine drivers progress to Pro Exhibition after impressing in DHL Time Trial event
Can you deliver under pressure? Be the best when time is of the essence? Our friends over at DHL certainly can⦠so who better to preside over our F1 Esports Series Time Trial event for 2022?
We invited some of the worldâs fastest hot-lappers to a special invite-only event, and are now left with nine graduates to the 2022 F1 Esports Series Pro Exhibition. To qualify, drivers had to set their best time around Australiaâs Albert Park Circuit, and out of the total pool of invitees, the three quickest from each platform (PC, PlayStation and Xbox) made it through to the Pro Exhibition at the end of June. Letâs find out whoâs joining the funâ¦
XBOX QUALIFIERS
Nothing says âbig dealâ like being invited by the event hosts themselves. Thatâs exactly what happened to Dutchman Thomas Ronhaar, who flew straight through into top spot on Xbox, clocking a superb time of 1:19.622.
Our two additional Xbox qualifiers fell just short of the requirements in F1 Esports Challengers in 2022. Longtime participant Joao Pedro Piana Santos makes it through after failing the internet speed test for Challengers, clocking a time just 0.020s behind Ronhaar. Chandler Seita takes the third and final spot, after waiting in the wings as one of the official reserves for Challengers this year. The West Virginian racerâs time of 1:19.707 was more than enough to make the cut, so heâll be jetting out to Silverstone too.
PLAYSTATION QUALIFIERS
Venezuelan star Gabriel Parra was quickest out of our PlayStation gaggle â and in fact set the fastest lap time overall by quite some margin! At 1:19.461, Parraâs lap time represents the zenith of what is possible within one lap. After sitting on the bench as a reserve in Challengers this year, heâll get another chance to prove himself at the Pro Exhibition.
Stalwart qualification specialist Bernardo âNardyâ Perez was also waiting in the wings during Challengers, but is back for another shot after his time of 1:19.742. Following closely behind is Jack Humphreys, whose Weekly Events efforts saw him invited to the DHL Time Trial this year, making the cut with a 1:19.794 lap around Melbourne.
PC QUALIFIERS
White Lilac returns! After previous stints in the Pro Championship with FDA and AlphaTauri, Manuel Biancolilla drops straight back into the Pro Exhibition with a sterling effort of 1:19.533 to take top spot out of our PC cohort, after qualifying through Weekly Events in F1 2021.
Impressive rising star Jake Benham was another to impress in Weekly Events, and makes it through to the Pro Ex with a time just 0.030s behind that of Biancolilla. The third and final driver to progress on PC is Luke Smith â not to be confused with the one from Autosport or the one from Bungie. Smith clocked an identical lap time to Xbox qualifier Ronhaar, so itâs clear already that these groups are extremely well-matched!
So thatâs our group â nine superfast racers with a penchant for one-lap raw speed. Will they be able to translate that into success at the Pro Exhibition? Find out later this year, as we get closer to unearthing our full roster for the 2022 Pro Championship!