Formula 1 has announced the names of the online racers selected at the Pro Draft who will compete in the next stage of the F1 Esports Series – the Pro Series Championship.
Before the draft 40 racers endured a three-day assessment including challenges, interviews, and fitness and stamina tests to reaction times and real-world driving. After that 16 drivers from nine countries were picked to play for an F1 Esports Series team yielding the following results:
| Name | Team | Country |
| Allert van der Wal | Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 eSports Team | Netherlands |
| Salih Saltunc | Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 eSports Team | United Kingdom |
| Sonuc Saltunc | Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 eSports Team | United Kingdom |
| Martin Stefanko | Haas F1 Esports Team | Czech Republic |
| Michal Smidl | Haas F1 Esports Team | Czech Republic |
| Fabrizio Donoso Delgado | Hype Energy eForce India F1 Esports Team | Chile |
| Daniel Bereznay | Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport | Hungary |
| Olli Pahkala | McLaren Shadow | Finland |
| Graham Carroll | Red Bull Racing esports Team | United Kingdom |
| Joni Tormala | Red Bull Racing esports Team | Finland |
| James Doherty | Renault Sport Team Vitality | United Kingdom |
| Kimmy Larsson | Renault Sport Team Vitality | Sweden |
| Sven Zurner | Renault Sport Team Vitality | Germany |
| Cem Bolukbasi | Toro Rosso Esports Team | Turkey |
| Patrick Holzmann | Toro Rosso Esports Team | Germany |
| Tino Naukkarinen | Williams Esports | Finland |
Teams were only required to pick at least one player from the draft. Some teams, like Williams Racing, have already signed drivers to their roster outside of the draft whereas teams like Alfa Romeo Sauber were looking to round out their full team.
Julian Tan, Head of Digital Growth and F1 Esports for Formula 1 said: “To be selected by professional F1 teams to compete globally is an outstanding achievement, and the creation of these new teams is a statement of intent for our fans and their involvement in the next chapter of the F1 Esports Series. Now, the competition really gathers pace as we head towards the Pro Series Championship.”
These drivers will represent their new teams as they will race in three live events that will determine the 2018 F1 Esports Series Teams and Drivers World Champions.
Esports Insider says: Esports drafts are popping up for games like Formula 1 and the NBA 2K Pro League and they’re getting more and more exciting. These positions are certainly well deserved for these racers considering the work they’ve all put into it. We’ll be interested to see how each team performs based on the choices from this draft coming up in the F1 Esports Series.