Brendon Leigh won his second successive F1 New Balance Esports Pro Series Drivers' Championship title in an incredible weekend for Brendon and his team. Thanks to the efforts of Leigh and his teammate Daniel Bereznay, who finished second in the Drivers' Championship, their team Mercedes AMG Petronas Esports won the Teams' Championship.
The season got underway on the Hockenheim circuit, where Salih Saltunc gave Sauber F1 Esports Team their first success in the Pro Series. Leigh and Joni Tormala (Red Bull Racing Esports Team) finished in 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
Singapore's Marina Bay track saw another success for Leigh, who dominated the race, finishing in first place just 3.8 seconds ahead of Williams Esports' Alvaro Carreton, with Marcel Kiefer (Hype Energy eForce India) coming in third. From there, Leigh took control, and by the end of rounds seven and eight, he was leading the driver standings with 171 points. Teammate Bereznay was second, and Toro Rosso's Frederik Rasmussen was behind him in third.
The Circuit of the Americas in Austin, USA was the stage for a penalty-filled penultimate race. However, Leigh remained dominant from pole to finish, crossing the line comfortably in the lead to secure his second title. He was followed by teammate Bereznay to seal a one-two for Mercedes, inching the team closer to the Teams’ title. Scuderia Toro Rosso Esports Team's Patrick Holzmann rounded out the podium in third.
The final adrenaline-fuelled race of the Series took place at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. With double points on offer and a cut of the $200,000 prize fund at stake, there was all to fight for in the Teams' Championship. A dramatic penultimate lap saw a three-car battle between Leigh, Bereznay and Rasmussen emerge, which eventually resulted in Leigh being given a penalty for exceeding the track limits.
McLaren Shadow's Bono Huis used the battle to his advantage, catching up with the leading pack on the final lap. In a nail-biting finish to a hard-fought race, Bereznay secured first place in the last race of the Series, followed by Huis and Rasmussen in third.
"I can't say where my head is at, I'm feeling very emotional," said Leigh after his commanding victory. "I just want to say thank you to Mercedes AMG Petronas Esports, we've put in hours of practice. I spent the last few laps enjoying it, you can never relax, but I was enjoying the moment."
Christian Dixon of Mercedes AMG Petronas Esports added, "To win the first F1 Esports Teams' Championship in our inaugural season is a great result for Mercedes - and it really shows how much work everyone put into this.
"Winning the team title by finishing one-two in the Drivers' Championship is testimony to the outstanding skills of both Brendon, Dani and the whole team behind them.
"They've been super committed in the preparation, pushing each other to continuously raise the bar. It's been really rewarding to watch the hard work from the entire team be converted into great results on track."
The Pro Series is the first time that the competing drivers have raced on F1 2018, which was released on 24th August 2018.
For more information, please visit www.f1esports.com.
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