Pressiteade
Their numbers include sim racers who compete at the wheel of virtualcars around virtual circuits, an exacting world that calls for uncompromisingtraining courses of the sort Alpine Esports Team has tailoredfor its drivers.
“Sim racing requires a level of preparation thatis very similar to that demanded of Formula 1 drivers”
Richard Arnaud, Team Principal, Alpine Esports Team
Sim racing’s elite
Without going quite so far as the extensive fitness training programme thatAlpine F1 Team’s Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso follow on a near-daily basis,Alpine Esports Team’s approach has left no stone unturned. “The necks of simracers may not be subjected to the g-forces that F1 drivers have to cope with, butthe level of focus required at worldchampionship rounds can be every bit as stressful and stimulating as it is inreal racing,”pointsout Richard Arnaud.
Which is precisely why Alpine has joined up with RaceClutch to create a bespoke entity to optimise the preparation of its sim racersfor the 2021 F1 Esports Series Pro-Championship which kicks off on the weekendof October 13-14.
Organised by the promoter of the FIA Formula 1 WorldChampionship, the series has attracted sim racing’s elite and is naturally basedon the latest edition of the official Formula 1 game which, like previous versions,is likely to rack up sales of several million worldwide.
“F1 2021 was released in July,” says Richard Arnaud, “so we gathered our threedrivers at our base in Limoges [western France] to begin their training in June.”
Chile’s Fabrizio Donoso (21), French teenager NicolasLonguet (19) and Hungarian youngster Patrick Sipos (18) today liveout of the same home and travel daily to Alpine Esports headquarters for a “trainingprogramme based on the experience acquired by Alpine F1 Team”.
More than 300 hours behind the wheel!
Much of the time is spent optimising the car’s performance. “In thevirtual world, unlike in Formula 1, all the championship’sparticipants compete with the same basic car,” explains Richard Arnaud. “It’s therefore down tous to find the set-up that best suits our drivers from all the different possiblepermutations.”
Fabrizio, Nicolas and Patrick spend hours ‘playing’ F12021 every day. “Since July, they have clocked up more than 300hours’ track time. One of our rivals can claim more but Ibelieve there is little to be gained past a certain threshold. It may even becounter-productive.”
A comprehensive programme
In addition to the time they spend in the simulator, AlpineEsports Team’s sim racers follow a busy training programme. “You have torealise that the entire field can be blanketed by just two-tenths of a second in qualifying, so we work with sports psychologistJulien Sauthon, a neuro-visual specialist who has developed a protocol thatfocuses on information processing and physical coordination,” observes RichardArnaud. “We also train hard fitness-wise. Like real drivers, our trio do exercisesthat strengthen the upper body and improve the suppleness and steadiness of notonly their wrists but also their ankles which operate the pedals.”
The 2021 F1 Esports Series Pro-Championship’s calendarfeatures four three-race meetings. The first is scheduled for October 13-14, butAlpine Esports Team’s three drivers have already had a chance to size up theiropponents. “Over the summer, they took part in several League-level races,the equivalent of friendlies in soccer,” reports Richard Arnaud. “They wontwo of them!”
With Alpine Esports Team’s sights set on the top stepof the podium, it could hardly have dreamt of a more encouraging build-up tothe upcoming campaign!
