Brendon Leigh crowned F1 eSports Series Champion

Abu Dhabi: He left it late, but Great Britain’s Brendon Leigh is the first Formula One eSports Series champion, after a dramatic overtake on the last lap of the Grand Final clinched victory and top spot in the standings.

The 18-year-old kitchen manager from Reading was one of four drivers who started Race 3 at Yas Marina Circuit knowing that a win would guarantee them the title.

One of the four, Fabrizio Donoso, had one foot on the top step of the podium until the final lap, when Leigh swept past him to snatch away the race win and the championship.

Leigh led the standings overnight after his victory at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on Friday in Race 1, but a poor performance in qualifying saw him start from 15th for Race 2 earlier on Saturday. He recovered admirably at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps to finish eighth, behind impressive race winner Cem Bolukbasi.

Starting from second for Race 3 at Yas Marina Circuit, Leigh was quick off the start line, passing pole-sitter Donoso to take first just after lights out. Sven Zurner joined the pair in a topsy-turvy battle for the lead, but just as it seemed that Donoso would prevail, Leigh’s dramatic last-gasp move shot him to the front all smiles as they joined him on the podium.