Last week it became clear that Jarno Ober will play for Mercedes E-sports from 2021. Thus, the Dutch sim racer is making the transition from the Alfa Romeo sim racing division to the German auto brand division. What exactly does this notable switch mean for Obmir? F1 Max Take a look at what this means for the talented racer and of course we also look forward to the big virtual racing event that’s on the agenda, because in addition to the 24 Hours of Daytona, the virtual Grand Prix of Austria will also be held this weekend.

Let’s face it, the news about an Uber upgrade didn’t come out of nowhere. After driving for MP Motorsport at the start of his career, among others, the Spanish Formula 4 and Renault Eurocup, Dordrecht decided to move to sim racing a few years ago, and with success. In his first two years at E-sports, called the F1 Esports Series, he showed a lot. After the start-up phase in 2019 (in which it ranked fourth, edition), he was able to win the virtual championship in 2020. His rapid progress through the now official Formula 1 virtual racing series has been rewarded with a contract with Mercedes, Formula 1 world champion.

Alfa Romeo did well in 2020, after all, it won the title there. under the cover Never change a winning team So it is not unreasonable to ask the question of why, when Mercedes knocked on the door, Opmeer changed course. “Mercedes really wanted me,” Opmeer opens cheerfully. Mercedes has a very large engineering team and in Alfa Romeo we never use the data, for example. So we actually drove a little blindly. This year I want to work with a lot more data than before. In addition, the financial resources there are much greater. So yeah, the material, the data usage, etc. Hence the switch.

Data-driven Mercedes should help Uber more

In the world of Sim racing, it is much more difficult to distinguish yourself than to distinguish yourself on concrete asphalt. After all, drivers create the same virtual material, so the difference is mainly made by the sim rider himself and how well the sim rider knows how to properly tune the car. The modified, and most of all, data-driven working method at Mercedes should benefit the performance of the Opmeer simrace, as he thinks: “That’s the intention, yes.”

How much difference you make depends, of course, on the path and how well that path suits you. I’m not going to get much of that data on the circuits that suit me. But it’s more about the circuits that have worked less well in the past. There is still a lot to be found in the setup by working with the data. They are, of course, very close to each other so a tenth of each lap would be a lot, ‘says the acquisition of the all-new Mercedes. Together with the new esports team, he wants to be able to defend his title in 2021 by working extensively with data.

Advance e-sports from Mercedes

The professionalization process for the Mercedes e-sports team goes further than originally anticipated. Brackley’s team will assist virtual racers with men who can be found along Formula 1 tracks on the weekends. Opmeer: ​​As I said, we will be working a lot with data, but we will also work with engineers, who will definitely add value to the project. I’m also going with a teammate who finished eighth last year (Danny Moreno, Editor), and I hope to get something out of that collaboration too.

Jarno Ober will form a team in 2021 with Danny Moreno and compatriot Bono Huis. (Photo: Mercedes AMG F1)

“I’ve already traveled several meters on the Red Bull circuit.”

“We will be working with Mercedes F1 engineers next season, but it is not entirely clear to me the effect of this method,” confirms Ober, who does not want to burst high from the tower. The Mercedes gentlemen who have been appointed to the virtual team of course have the knowledge, but it remains a different branch of the sport. It will mainly be interesting to discuss the data with these engineers. It is not clear what this will save in time.

It might be apparent that Mercedes is advancing the virtual racing series, but where does this ostensible auto focus on esports come from? They were champions in 2018 and in 2019 and 2020 it was very disappointing for them, I think. For two years in a row, Red Bull Racing Esports claimed the title, after which Mercedes decided to change course. I expect they will have an idea that now is the time to take esports more seriously. They also have a lot of partners who want to get involved in esports, or who want to do more in esports, which is why.

Call to Brackley?

Formula 1 teams are increasingly using simulators to prepare their drivers for circuit conditions. This is why Mercedes not only means something to Ober, but also to Uber to Mercedes. He certainly does not rule out a possible role in Brackley’s Mercedes simulation: ‘It could be, but for now I can because Closures Of course not to the UK. At the moment, I am primarily busy with esports, like of course the Virtual Grand Prix on Sunday.

Also with a fist in the simulator in 2019, he still leads the Renault E-sports team. (Photo: Renault Sport Media)

The first virtual Grand Prix of the year

The trend emerging in the tough 2020 season affected by the Coronavirus, F1 will also continue in 2021. This Sunday, the first virtual Grand Prix race of the year will be held at the Red Bull Ring. This event is divided into two races, which begin with the sprint race, including the Opmeer race, and the Features race, where we will find Formula 1 drivers such as George Russell, Nicholas Latifi and Alexander Albon. Red Bull Racing has also managed to get several motocross world champion Geoffrey Hurlings to seat next to the reserve Thai driver for the Austrian racing team.

The upcoming race event is important for Uber and has already targeted preparation for a long time and at a large scale: “Still basically working with the setting. I really have a lot of track experience because there was also a round of F1 Esports in Austria. I’ve already achieved a lot of meters in Red Bull Circuit. We found some things that could be better compared to last time, so there is still time to gain. The format is also slightly different from what you’re used to. You only race five laps by one One quali shot (Each driver drives one lap to determine qualified position, Ed.) So the pressure is on. But I think that makes it a lot more interesting.

“The Red Bull Ring isn’t my favorite track to be honest, but I was third in the race last year.” After this place on the podium, a high final ranking in Virtual Styria will definitely be possible. “It’s not one of my favorite jobs because it’s too easy Path boundaries This is not ideal for this job. I don’t like the design either. I don’t hate it or anything else, but there are circles that I love the most.

Formula 1 drivers in the world of Sim Racing

Opmeer won’t be competing this weekend with Formula 1 drivers taking part in the event, and maybe even better for Formula 1 drivers as well: ‘If we were to compete, I think I’d be faster. After all, it is my platform. I must say, Russell has been pretty fast last year, but this is a completely different game (from what they usually play, Editor) where I spent many hours. There are a total of three events on the calendar, for all these three races I will participate in sprint races, ” he concludes.

Although the Formula 1 season will take some time, there is enough to follow this week. The virtual Formula 1 event starts on Sunday at 7 PM. Then Opmeer will compete for the first time under the Mercedes flag against its competitors in the sim race. The other two events are scheduled for the next weekend and the following weekend (February 7 and 14, respectively), to fill the weekend of the endless winter vacation. So watch!