Central Europe’s virtual Formula One championship, which was abruptly stop by the COVID-19 pandemic, makes a return – however, now as a breeding ground for professional F4 drivers!
Launched by HM Sports in 2018, the Formelaustria eRacing Series trained Central Europe’s best SimRacers to enter qualification for the official F1 ESports Series. In three seasons, no fewer five drivers were able to sign a contract with F1 outfits as part of their line-up for the renowned gaming championship.
“We were high-flying and already negotiating expansions to the Middle East and the US, when the Corona virus brought everyday life to a shock stop,” HM Sports managing director Harry Miltner recalled.
Following the formation of the Formelaustria Young Driver Programme (FAYDP) in June 2024 – a two-year programme supporting karting talents and top sim racers – primarily from Austria – in their transition to becoming Formula 4 drivers – a comeback of the Formelaustria eRacing Series has always been apparent.
“Simulator training has become a huge part of instruction and prepration in modern motorsport. Hence, our racing talents also spend many hours in the sim,” Miltner, who is also the programme director of Austria’s new junior racing academy, added.
Different to it early days, when the focus was to hatch F1 ESports series candidates, the focus is now on enhancing the driving skills of the academy’s talents, both participiants and prospects.
“Our current programme drivers are understandably seeded for the new series. However, we will also allow several prospects to enter,” the Austro-Scottish sports consultant confirmed.
While the FAYDP drivers use the series to further sharpen their skills, invited prospects can take centre stage to earn themselves a real world F4 test drive and maybe a slot on the programme in 2026.
The application process starts in early May 2025 and will be announced on Formelaustria.at and all its Social Media channels.
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