Formula One is a sport that has been extremely slow to get with the technology of the times, particularly the rapidly increasing eSports industry. However, that could be about to change, as the Formula One management mentions the idea of using gamers to test regulations changes before they are applied to the sport.
Now when they say “gamers”, they aren’t talking about the people that constantly cause havoc in online racing games or the 12 year old that races with the arrow keys on the keyboard; they are talking about the highly skilled professionals that could give actual racing drivers a run for their money.
The eSports industry is rapidly growing, as simulators become more realistic. Some sports have been quick to capitalize on this fan engagement goldmine, with Formula-E holding an eSports tournament and McLaren hiring a gamer from their simulator competition. Formula One as a whole has been slow to do anything like this under the previous narrow-minded management.
However, Ross Brawn suggested that the sport may soon use gamers to test out new regulations before they are brought into actual Formula One. The gamers would get to test out and provide feedback about this like weekend format changes and maybe even track changes.
But it wouldn’t be limited to just that. Modern simulation software used by the many of the teams even simulates car aerodynamics. This would allow gamers to test the new technical regulations before the start of the season to ensure that the sport is headed in the right direction.
The sport has made a few mistakes in the past when it comes to regulation changes, the latest being the qualifying format change that flopped in Australia last year. Having regulations pre-tested before the team’s hit the circuit could help to prevent failures like this in the future.
