Lewis Hamilton is set to make his e-sports debut; it’s expected the Formula 1 world champion will be taking part in Sony’s Gran Turismo online sporting event very soon.
Formula 1 was one of the first sports to embrace e-sports, now showcasing virtual races featuring its drivers and other celebrities. It’s expected that the superstar driver will be taking part in a future race.
Last week, Lewis’ long-time championship rival Sebastian Vettel made his e-sports debut. ‘Seb’ said that he had received his racing setup, and is going to start playing regularly soon.
Lewis and Vettel join a long list of F1 drivers now racing in the virtual world; Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and George Russell are all competing in one e-sports league or another.
Lewis Hamilton has been working with Grand Turismo since 2017, where he serves as a mentor and a ‘Maestro’ – a virtual Hamilton guides players throughout the game.
At the announcement, Hamilton admitted that he used to play the game as a child. “I have been playing [the game] since I was a kid. So to actually be part of the gameplay design has been an incredible experience.”
Lewis’ connection with the Gran Turismo is the reason why the British world champion will most probably be part of GT’s budding e-sports league (as opposed to the F1’s official virtual tour).
But who knows? If Hamilton proves to be as good on the virtual track as he is on the real one, we might see him crossover and take the world’s first virtual F1 world championship.
