Williams Esports: Introducing The Student Racing League

Williams Esports announces the Student Racing League as a series designed to engage educational centres to further grow education in STEM subjects and Esports.

Williams Esports is the professional Esports team of Formula 1 Team Williams Racing, formed in 2018, and represented internationally across competitive SimRacing, Gaming and modern-day education. We are a leading organisation in creating the most holistic, high-performance environment in Esports for our drivers’ and wider team’s growth, with a success record to show for it.

Following a successful pilot series for the SRL in the 2022/23 academic year, the first official season of the Student Racing League begins in November 2023. This is a multi-tier Championship with schools and colleges around the UK competing against each other on the virtual racetrack, culminating in a live final at the Williams F1 headquarters in Oxfordshire.

There will be three splits with the fastest 30 centres participating in the racing season, while additional centres will contest a Hot Lap Leaderboard Challenge in each term to earn promotion to the racing leagues the following year.

Williams have enlisted support from the British Esports Federation to help students to utilise the benefits of crossover with a real-world sport.

Racing action will be broadcast live on the Twitch streaming platform and posted on all our Williams Esports Social Media pages.

Steven English - Director of Williams Esports: “We are thrilled to open up the Student Racing League to bring an ever-increasing number of schools, colleges and universities into competitive sim racing.

“It is our vision here at Williams Esports to offer opportunities for the younger generation to grow a passion for racing, and to elevate esports alongside more traditional sports in academic competition.

“The Student Racing League offers a new platform for students to not just engage their passion for racing, but also to develop crucial skills in performance and operational roles in a growing industry, providing valuable experience and development to students aspiring to careers in the field.

“We look forward to running the first full season of the league and welcoming the finalists here at Williams F1 HQ for the finals next summer.”

Kalam Neale - Head of Education, British Esports: “British Esports are pleased to bring the Student Racing League to our schools and colleges network in partnership with Williams Esports.

"After a successful pilot in ‘22/‘23, I’m excited to see the continued development of esports in education through the introduction of Sim Racing.

"Last year we saw huge excitement and community development within the 10 pilot centres. This opportunity provides an unparalleled level of exposure and introduction into the world of Motorsport, race engineering and Esports through SimRacing.

"Professional Motorsport is such a difficult industry to access for many enthusiasts but with the SRL, schools and colleges will be able to enter a two-driver racing team into the league which creates new pathways into the industry for talented drivers, coaches, and race engineers across the breadth of the United Kingdom who wish to pursue a career in the sport.

"We’re looking forward to getting started! Good luck, race hard and have fun!”