They were the surprise package of the 2021 F1 Esports Series Pro Championship presented by Aramco – but after two and a half years together, Lucas Blakeley announces he will be parting ways with Aston Martin Cognizant Esports Team.

The news comes as a surprise to many, after a successful season together in 2021 which saw the duo accrue two victories, en route to third in both the driver and team standings.

Sharing the news via social media, Blakeley said:

“Today, I announce that I’m leaving Aston Martin Cognizant Esports Team after two and a half years.

“I want to take a moment to thank the team for putting their faith in me during this time, it’s thanks to them that I got the chance to compete in F1 Esports and do what I love competitively. For that, I will be forever grateful.”

Blakeley has not yet made his future plans known to the public, although he signed off the message with a cryptic hint that he may know his whereabouts later this year:

“This chapter has closed, time to start writing the next…”

From Draftee To Dark Horse

Blakeley’s journey has been a joyous one to follow. Looked over for a seat in 2018, he got a second chance in 2019 when he attended what was then known as the Pro Draft. Scooped up by the team, known at the time as BWT Racing Point F1 Esports Team, the young Scot was reduced to tears at his selection.

With F1 Esports stalwart Marcel Kiefer, and sim racing authority Daniele Haddad as team mates, Blakeley only got four races on track in that year’s championship.

That was more than enough. In only his second race, he commanded an ultra-impressive second-place finish at the Suzuka race, losing out only to race winner Frede Rasmussen.

The 2020 season came and went in a blur, and Blakeley and Racing Point were left behind. But 2021 was to be a different story. First race, first victory. In a taste of what was to come, Blakeley fought tooth and nail with Nicolas Longuet and Alvaro Carreton for the first win of the season in Bahrain. A complete changing of the guard, a breathless final lap battle, and a first ever victory for the elated Scot.

The season blossomed into the most competitive so far, and Blakeley took another victory at Portimao, and became championship leader after he showed more consistency than rivals Jarno Opmeer and Rasmussen. Though he eventually missed out on the crown, the quantum leap in terms of performance means that wherever he ends up in 2022, he’s sure to impress!

We don’t yet know who will be on the grid in the 2022 F1 Esports Series Pro Championship, but thanks to Challengers, we’re getting slightly closer! Join us for Event 2 of the F1 Esports Challengers, streaming live on Twitch from 1-3 February at 19:30 GMT. We might just unearth our next superstar…

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Challengers is BACK for another year! The dust has only just begun to settle on the 2021 F1 Esports Series Pro Championship presented by Aramco. But while that may still be fresh in the memory, we’re already looking for fresh talented racers in 2022.

So what is the Challengers? Don’t worry – we’ve got everything you need to know right here! Essentially, Challengers is the second step on the journey to becoming an official F1 Esports Series racer. The first step was the qualifying events held on F1 2021 back in October and November, and now we have the very best qualifiers ready to race one another.

Groups of racers on PC, Xbox and PlayStation devices will contest a 12-race championship in the early months of 2022. After 12 races, the six drivers with the most points on each platform will progress to the Pro Exhibition. From there, they’ll be pushed to the absolute limit, with the 10 official F1 Esports teams able to pick the most talented drivers for their official 2022 roster.

CHALLENGERS FORMAT

Each event of the Challengers will consist of two 25% races per console, running on consecutive days. So to kick off, our first week of action will see the Xbox racers battle on January 18, with PlayStation and PC players following suit the next two days.

Six events will run every fortnight from January 18 until the end of March, at which point we’ll separate the good from the great. The six finest racer from each group will then progress to the Pro Exhibition.

These streams will all be taking place live on Twitch and Huya from 19:00 GMT, so you can follow the action as it goes along! Who knows, we might just unearth our latest superstar!

The post F1 Esports Series Challengers is Back for 2022! appeared first on F1Esports News.