F1 Esports Pro threatens to quit due to equipment failure

Jarno Opmeer a two-time F1 Esports Series world champ experienced a huge setback on July 6 during Round 3 of the Premier Sim Gaming Leagues (PSGL). His Fanatec CSL Elite V2 LC pedals, which have been required equipment for F1 Esports competitors since 2018, completely broke down in the middle of his qualifying run. The F1 23 Esports community was outraged by this incident, which made Opmeer think about leaving the F1 Esports Series.

Opmeer has earned an astounding $222k over the past four years competing in the F1 Esports Series, the premier event of the F1 series. This year’s F1 Esports Series is about to get underway. Opmeer’s place on the starting grid, however, is currently a hotly debated topic.

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https://twitter.com/jarno_opmeer/status/1676688587113234434

Opmeer live stream

Opmeer erupted as the angry Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS driver streamed the entire event live. Opmeer said, “Uh, I’ve bent my entire brake pedal… Five broken pedals in like one and a half months. This is a joke.”

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His anger with the equipment reached different heights as he is forced to use the same equipment due to Fanatec’s official F1 Esports sponsorship. He further said, “How can you drive F1 Esports with this?… You cannot run an F1 Esports World Championship on brake pedals that can’t even f***ing handle half of a normal braking force.”

Following the incident, Opmeer vented his emotions on Twitter, talking cryptically, “If I say what I think I will be banned.”

https://twitter.com/jarno_opmeer/status/1676675409058975747

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This tweet rekindled the contentious debate on the standard of required gear used in the F1 Esports Series. People started questioning the lack of quality of equipment in the F1 series. People even started to criticise Fanatec and have asked if these pedals are specifically used at the highest level then why aren’t they built properly. It’s obvious that the issue of equipment quality and dependability has been brought to the fore with the impending 2023 F1 Esports season looming. Fanatec has not yet commented on the criticism they have received.