About ESL R1
Launched in 2023 as a joint venture between ESL FACEIT Group (Cologne) and Competition Company GmbH (Munich), ESL R1—also known as RENNSPORT R1: Racing Released—is the premier international sim racing championship contested on the Unreal Engine 5-powered RENNSPORT simulation platform. The series brings together elite esports organizations and manufacturer-backed squads—including Porsche Coanda Esports Racing Team, BMW M Team Redline / Verstappen Sim Racing, Team Vitality, MOUZ, BS+COMPETITION, Mercedes-AMG Esports Team Williams, and Aston Martin—competing across GT3 and Hypercar classes in knockout rounds, the double-points Hero Stage, and the signature sudden-death Finalist Mode. Following major LAN finals at IEM Katowice, the RENNSPORT Summit in Munich, and Gamers8, ESL R1 serves as the official virtual motorsport discipline at the Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh with a $500,000 prize pool.