Picture Credit: Twitter
A Dutch driver winning the drivers' championship and Mercedes finishing on top of team standings - Doesn't it sound quite familiar? No, it's not Formula One! It's actually F1 Esports Series Pro Championship where a very similar sequence of events unfolded this weekend.
Just like Max Verstappen, Dutch Esports driver Jarno Opmeer clinched a closely fought title battle to lift the F1 Esports trophy. However, there is still a difference. Unlike Max who drives for Red Bull, Opmeer is a Mercedes driver who actually defeated Red Bull's Frede Rasmussen by a narrow margin of 8 points to defend his crown.
Meanwhile, just like F1, Mercedes dominated in the team standings and finished way ahead of Red Bull to finish on top of the table.
Check out the F1 Esports 2021 standings:
What happened in the final few races?
With 9 races done and dusted, the stage was set for the final 3 races of the season with the title race going down the wire. It was first time for race 10 at Imola where Jarno Opmeer finished 2nd while Frede Rasmussen had to settle for 3rd position. Things were getting interesting in the championship battle but Opmeer produced a masterclass performance in race 11 at Mexico City where his incredible win got him 21 points clear of Rasmussen, who finished at 3rd spot once again.
The action for season finale switched to Interlagos where only a miracle could take the title away from Opmeer. But unlike the drama which happened in F1 in Abu Dhabi, nothing of that sorts happened in F1 Esports showdown. Although Rasmussen did manage to secure a sensational victory to give himself an outside chance, Opmeer's 4th place finish was enough to guide him to his second consecutive championship title.
As it turned out, the F1 Esports 2021 champion was a Dutchman from Mercedes - a combination which was indeed destined to win!