The F1 Sim Racing World Championship 2023/2024 season has come to a close, wrapping up the seventh season of the Formula One Esports Series. This year’s series was marked by organizational issues, unexpected event cancellations, and inadequate promotion, despite being the first season conducted entirely through LAN events. Although total watch time increased, average and peak viewership numbers continued to fall. Public criticism from participants further highlighted these ongoing challenges.
Season Overview
A Rocky Start
The season began in November 2023 with the F1 Sim Racing World Championship 2023/2024 – Event One, which was announced just days before the actual event. The opening event drew a modest peak viewership of 34.2K, significantly lower than what the series enjoyed in previous years. Despite the initial excitement among drivers and fans for the remaining 2023 races, the F1 esports scene went silent, and none of the remaining events for the year took place.
Mid-Season Turmoil
The cancellations of the remaining 2023 races were due to a major dispute between the team drivers and the F1 esports organizational body. While Formula 1 covered travel expenses, they required drivers to exclusively use racing equipment from their sponsor, Fanatec, in all published videos, regardless of relevance to F1. When teams refused these terms, Formula 1 withdrew travel expense coverage, leading to the collapse of the remaining 2023 season.
Resumption and Backlash
On April 2, it was announced that the season would resume, just a week before the next scheduled event. Efforts by F1 esports and their partners ESL to reignite fan interest faced hurdles, as many drivers and professionals had already publicly criticized the handling of the series. Nathan Tague, Head of Sim Racing at G2 Esports, highlighted on Twitter that multiple planned LAN events in 2023 were silently canceled, though he acknowledged ESL’s efforts to make these events happen.
Viewership Statistics
Overall Performance
In total, the three events spread across 2023 and 2024 amassed 786.6K Hours Watched. This figure surpasses previous series thanks to increased broadcasting time. The league was live for over 43 hours this season, making it the longest F1 esports season to date.
Event Breakdown
- Event Two: The most-watched event of the season, F1 Sim Racing World Championship 2023/2024 – Event Two, accounted for 444.3K Hours Watched. This event covered Rounds 2 through 7 and took place over three days from April 10-12, featuring races at Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Red Bull Ring, Silverstone Circuit, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Circuit Zandvoort, and Circuit of the Americas. The event was live for over 20 hours.
- Event Three: The final event, held on May 9, saw a peak viewership of 41.3K for the championship-deciding race. Despite a peak viewership similar to the previous event, average viewership plummeted to 14.8K, with little interest in races outside the final decisive ones.
Challenges and Criticism
All events were broadcast on the official Formula 1 YouTube channel, which has over 10.5M subscribers. However, poor promotion and last-minute announcements hindered the series’ ability to draw its full viewership potential. For comparison, the well-promoted 2020 F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix Series featuring real F1 drivers achieved much higher viewership, such as the Virtual Grand Prix Vietnam event reaching 472.2K Peak Viewers.
Declining Viewership Trends
Comparing the past three seasons, rebranded as F1 Sim Racing, shows a steady decline in both average and peak viewership. Although the series has managed to increase its watch time annually due to longer races and an expanding circuit, peak viewership dropped by 20.6% this season, following a 16% decline in 2022. Issues such as lack of effective anti-cheat measures and cheating accusations have damaged the series’ reputation.
Third-Party Competitions
Official F1 Sim Racing events are now drawing fewer viewers than third-party events. For the second year in a row, the official circuit received fewer peak viewers than a Twitch Rivals event. The Twitch Rivals F1 23 Launch Showdown garnered 45.4K Peak Viewers, and F1 esports driver Jarno Opmeer attracted 15.6K Peak Viewers on his personal Twitch channel while streaming and competing in the event.
Looking Forward
Throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons, the F1 Sim Racing World Championship underwent significant changes and faced numerous controversies. For future success, the series must address organizational issues and overhaul its promotional strategies. Improved management and effective advertising are essential for the series to realize its potential and attract a larger audience.
