World’s fastest gamer enters final phase

The world's most intense and ground-breaking competition for virtual racers is about to enter its final phase, as 12 finalists battle it out over an intense week of challenges to bag the greatest job in esports – joining the McLaren F1 team as an official simulator driver.

World's fastest gamer pits the best gamers in the world against amateur virtual drivers, across multiple racing platforms, as they battle it out to become the ultimate ‘champion of champions'.

It is a partnership between global sports and technology brand McLaren and the founder of virtual motorsport's GT Academy, Darren Cox, in collaboration with founding partner Logitech G, a global leader in gaming gear and two further partners - sports media platform GIVEMESPORT and esport racing innovator Sparco.

From short films to hours of live streaming, World's Fastest Gamer has redefined how racing esports is broadcast to fans.

The competition has already seen over 10 million views and unprecedented levels of engagement. With non-stop coverage, the Finals Week is expected to beat all industry records to become one of the most watched esport racing events ever.

Over 30,000 players entered the WFG competition, and after rounds of heats, the 12 finalists will meet for the first time on 11 November and go head-to-head in Finals Week - a series of physical, mental, track and virtual challenges to find out who has the skills to claim the ultimate prize. They will need to demonstrate their engineering know-how, ability to work as part of a team and display the mental and physical strengths required for the position.

The winner will be offered a one-year contract with McLaren as a simulator driver, working with engineers at the McLaren Technology Centre in the UK, feeding into the technology used in the real world by the team's drivers, Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne, at grand prix circuits across the globe.

“We are proud that McLaren is the first F1 team to launch in esports. World's Fastest Gamer is an exciting platform for us to bring motorsport and the sport of Formula 1 to a whole new audience, as well as traditional fans. The results have shown our instincts were right.

Furthermore, with simulation now a well-established feature of modern racing operations, it is an interesting exercise in understanding the potential for esports to unearth future motorsport talent,” said McLaren Technology Group Executive Director Zak Brown.

World's Fastest Gamer has captured the imagination of millions, from the most highly skilled pro-gamers, to complete beginners such as a surgeon from Demark who has made it through to Finals Week despite not owning a games console. Each finalist has their own unique story to tell but only one will join McLaren's team.

The Finalists are:

• David Hoch (USA), 23, qualified
  • Rudy Van Buren (The Netherlands), 25, qualified
  • Yordi Maldonado (Mexico), 20, qualified
  • Henrik Drue (Denmark), 34, qualified
  • Isaac Price (UK), 22, qualified
  • Freek Schothorst (The Netherlands), 20, qualified
  • Aurélien Mohammedi-Mallet (France), 23, panel selection
  • Bono Huis (The Netherlands), 23, panel selection
  • David Le Garff (France), 40, panel selection
  • Greger Huttu (Finland), 37, panel selection
  • Harry Jacks (UK), 22, panel selection
  • Ryan Moore (USA), 22, panel selection