The Formula 1® Sim Racing World Championship reached a dramatic climax at F1’s Media and Technology Centre in Biggin Hill, as both title battles went down to the wire at the virtual Yas Marina Circuit. Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing claimed a record breaking fourth Constructors’ Championship, securing the largest share of the $750,000 prize pool. Meanwhile, 18 year old Welsh driver, Otis Lawrence held off intense pressure from Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports’ Ismael Fahssi to seal his maiden Drivers’ Championship in thrilling fashion.
In the final round of the 2026 season, Red Bull clinched consecutive Constructors’ Championships in incredible style, despite sustained pressure from second‑placed Alpine across all four events. Ferrari finished third in the Constructors’ standings, while Red Bull’s Jarno Opmeer claimed third place in the Drivers’ Championship.
The 2026 season saw nine F1 teams compete across 12 rounds, delivered over four live events. The championship opened at global esports and gaming festival, DreamHack Birmingham, which welcomed more than 50,000 fans across the weekend. The remaining three events were hosted at Formula 1’s state-of-the-art, multi-purpose sim racing studio within its Media and Technology Centre in Biggin Hill, showcasing the sport’s continued investment in the championship.
Building on this momentum, the 2026 championship has delivered strong audience growth, with Event 1 at DreamHack attracting over 3.9 million live viewers across three rounds of racing, an 85% increase compared to Event 1 in 2025 (2.1 million).
The Formula 1® Sim Racing World Championship also strengthened its commercial portfolio this year, welcoming Lenovo Legion as Official Technology Provider, which supplied teams and drivers with high-performance gaming hardware designed to meet the demands of elite competition.
Aramco continued as Presenting Partner of the series, while AWS remained an Official Sponsor, contributing its industry-leading cloud expertise. Fanatec also retained its role as Official Sponsor and Hardware Partner, providing all teams with professional-grade simulators essential for delivering a world-class racing experience.
Emily Prazer, Chief Commercial Officer at Formula 1, said:
“The 2026 Formula 1 Sim Racing World Championship has provided an incredible season, marked by a number of exciting milestones that continue to elevate the series. From racing in front of 50,000 passionate fans at DreamHack Birmingham, to hosting events in our own purpose-built facility at the Media and Technology Centre in Biggin Hill, we’ve taken significant steps forward in delivering a truly world-class esports competition.
“Congratulations to Red Bull and Alpine’s Otis Lawrence on their outstanding achievements this season. To win four Constructors’ Championships in such a competitive field is a remarkable accomplishment, and for Otis to become Champion at just 18 years old is an incredible feat.
“We’re proud of the continued growth of F1 Sim Racing and look forward to building on this momentum in the years ahead.”
Morgan Ashurst, Esports Lead of Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing, said:
“We entered the 2026 season as the defending champions, with everything to lose. The team are ecstatic to not only defend the title, but write history yet again as the first double back-to-back Teams’ champions. Frede and Jarno have been a formidable force on track, backed up by our incredible engineers Ondrej and Liam. Away from track, team management work hard to make everything possible, and the results speak for themselves. Now for some much-deserved rest before we turn our attention to the 2027 season and the new DLC!”
Otis Lawrence, Alpine F1 Sim Racing Driver, said:
“Winning the Drivers’ Championship means so much to me, I have dedicated so much time to the championship, with the longer game cycle, it feels amazing to come out on top. The highlight of the season was winning at DreamHack – to perform in front of a crowd with my family, friends and all the sim racing team was an incredible moment. I’m looking forward to coming back next year and defending the title.”
For the final standings, and further information on the Formula 1® Sim Racing World Championship, click here.
About Formula 1®
Formula 1® racing began in 1950 and is the world’s most prestigious motor racing competition, as well as the world’s most popular annual sporting series. Formula One World Championship Limited is part of Formula 1® and holds the exclusive commercial rights to the FIA Formula One World Championship™. Formula 1® is a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation (NASDAQ: FWONA, FWONK, LLYVA, LLVYK) attributed to the Formula One Group tracking stock. The F1 logo, F1 FORMULA 1 logo, FORMULA 1, F1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX, PADDOCK CLUB and related marks are trademarks of Formula One Licensing BV, a Formula 1 company. All rights reserved.