The 2018 F1 New Balance Esports Pro Series kicked off at the Gfinity Esports Arena as the first three rounds of the ten-race championship delivered exciting racing and a podium finish for Hype Energy eForce India.
Following a training camp and an in-depth evaluation held before the event to compare the drivers, Marcel Kiefer and Fabrizio Donoso Delgado had been picked to compete on the night of the first live show. Mads Sørensen, the third driver in our roster, remained in standby as a reserve driver for the night, providing support to the race team throughout the event.
The three races that kick-started the championship proved a tough challenge for the drivers, but the Hype Energy eForce India drivers showed pace and racecraft to score valuable points.
Starting in sixth and eighth on the grid with Donoso and Kiefer respectively, the Australian Grand Prix was off to a difficult start when Marcel had to pit for a new wing at the end of lap one. Issues later in the race compromised Fabrizio’s strategy, and both our drivers finished in P11 and P13, just outside the points.
A rain-hit qualifying session in China saw an inspired call to set a lap early, resulting in Fabrizio and Marcel securing a second-row lockout. Strong races for both of them saw the drivers swap positions to the line, with Marcel Kiefer claiming the first ever podium finish for the team. It was a strong showing with plenty of positives from both drivers, who displayed good pace and highlighted their ability to battle at the front in an incident-free race.
The final race of the evening, in Baku, was off to a bad start with Fabrizio unable to set a laptime in qualifying. Starting at the back, with Marcel in P12, it was always going to be a difficult race but a long first stint and a strategy gamble to stop late paid off, the Chilean star coming home ninth to claim two championship points.
The results mean Hype Energy eForce India finished the night in fourth place in the constructors’ championship. In such a competitive series, the margins are small but the team has shown to have what it takes to battle at the sharp end of the grid. The next live event will take place on October 31st with the third and final live event on November 16th and 17th.
Relive the action from the first live event broadcast:
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