If you’re a Ferrari fan, then chances are that you’re looking forward to the fourth race in the 2022 F1 World Championship this weekend. After a troublesome few seasons for Ferrari, things are looking up following the introduction of new regulations this year. The ‘Prancing Horse’ is galloping ahead in the constructor table, with Charles Leclerc sitting comfortably on top of the driver standings.
Will Scuderia Ferrari Velas Esports, Ferrari’s official esports team, have the same fortune in the F1 Esports Series? Only time will tell. But, the team’s sim racing drivers will certainly be well equipped, thanks to a new partnership with Next Level Racing (NLR).
The Aussie brand is set to supply the team with sim racing cockpits for the 2022 season and beyond. Presumably, this will be Next Level Racing’s flagship F-GT Elite cockpit that I reviewed last month. It’s not just equipment though; NLR will also be collaborating with the Ferrari Velas Esports Series to promote wider sim racing competition.
Marco Matassa, Team Principal of Scuderia Ferrari Velas Esports, had this to say:
We are pleased to be able to rely on Next Level Racing as a partner, with whom we share the fundamental values of continuous cutting-edge research in creating excellent products. This allows sim drivers to enjoy the best possible gaming experience. The esports world, especially in the field of motorsport, operates to the nearest thousandth of a second and knowing that our drivers can count on the highest quality of technical equipment means they are well equipped to deliver the best possible performance.
This is not the first time that Next Level Racing has partnered with a heavy hitter from the motorsports or aviation world. The recent collaboration with iRacing saw special edition F-GT Lite and F-GT Elite cockpits ship with one year free iRacing subscriptions for new members. And, there’s a new flight sim cockpit in the works that realistically replicates that from a Boeing aircraft.
However, the new partnership with Ferrari seems a natural progression; Next Level Racing is already associated with Thrustmaster, which has the rights to stick the ‘Prancing Horse’ badge on some of its sim racing wheels. Regardless, it’s great to see sim racing being taken more seriously by the wider motorsports community.
Comments