Formula 1 has yet to publicly announce the 2027 F1 Sim Racing World Championship, despite ending its 2026 season with significant audience growth, a $750,000 prize pool and statements from competitors already looking ahead to next year. As of September 29, Formula 1’s official Sim Racing channels remain focused on the completed 2026 championship and other current initiatives, with no 2027 calendar, team list or format announced.
That does not mean F1 Sim Racing has been cancelled. Formula 1 has made no such announcement, and there is currently no official confirmation that the World Championship is being discontinued or sold. What can be established from Formula 1 and the teams themselves is that the 2026 championship performed strongly by several measurable standards, while public details about its successor remain absent.
F1 Sim Racing recorded major growth in 2026
The 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship featured nine Formula 1 teams competing over 12 rounds spread across four live events. Each team named a three-driver roster, while two drivers represented the team at each round, with the championship offering a total prize pool of $750,000.
The season began at DreamHack Birmingham in March before moving to Formula 1’s Media and Technology Centre in Biggin Hill for the remaining three events. Formula 1 had invested in a dedicated multi-purpose sim racing studio at the facility, placing the championship directly inside one of the organisation’s main operational centres rather than relying entirely on external esports venues.
Formula 1’s own figures also show substantial audience growth. Its 2026 half-year review reported nearly 13 million live viewers across YouTube, Twitch and Facebook for the championship, representing a 72% increase compared with 2025.
Social reach was considerably larger. Formula 1 reported 269 million social media views related to the championship, including 84 million social video views during the year. The opening DreamHack event alone attracted more than 3.9 million live viewers across its three races, compared with 2.1 million for the equivalent opening event in 2025, an increase of 85%.
DreamHack Birmingham itself welcomed more than 50,000 people across the weekend. While that figure represents attendance at the wider festival rather than an audience exclusively attending F1 Sim Racing, it also gave the championship a physical presence in front of a large gaming and esports crowd before the series moved to Formula 1’s own facility.
Formula 1 was still talking about the future in May
There were few indications at the end of the 2026 season that Formula 1 was preparing to abandon the championship. When the finale concluded on May 28, Red Bull secured the Teams’ Championship with 227 points, only three ahead of Alpine, while Otis Lawrence won the Drivers’ Championship for Alpine with 156 points, two ahead of Ferrari’s Ismael Fahssi.
More importantly for the future of the competition, participants were already discussing 2027 in Formula 1’s own championship communication. Red Bull Sim Racing Esports Lead Morgan Ashurst said the team would turn its attention towards the 2027 season, while Lawrence said he was looking forward to returning the following year to defend his title.
There was also commercial evidence pointing towards another season. On May 14, McLaren Racing announced a multi-year technology partnership with Intel that included the McLaren F1 Sim Racing Team. McLaren specifically stated that Intel branding would appear on its on-stage simulators during the final 2026 event and, crucially, on the team’s virtual livery from the 2027 season.
Formula 1’s sim racing commercial programme was also active elsewhere in 2026. Fanatec renewed its global licensing partnership with Formula 1 under a multi-year agreement and remained the Official Sponsor and Hardware Partner of the F1 Sim Racing World Championship, supplying the simulators used by teams and drivers during the season. Aramco continued as Presenting Partner, AWS remained an Official Sponsor and Lenovo Legion joined the championship as Official Technology Provider.
But F1 Sim Racing 2027 has still not been announced
This is where the current situation becomes notable. Four months after the 2026 finale, Formula 1 has still not publicly detailed a 2027 F1 Sim Racing World Championship. Its official F1 Sim Racing page continues to present information about the completed 2026 World Championship and the F1 Sim Racing India Open 2026, but there is currently no published 2027 calendar, format, participating team list or launch date.
That absence should not be interpreted as confirmation that the championship is ending. There has been no official Formula 1 statement cancelling F1 Sim Racing, and no official announcement confirming that the championship has been sold. Likewise, speculation surrounding individual Formula 1 teams should remain separate from confirmed information until those teams or Formula 1 make their plans public.
McLaren’s own official material remains particularly relevant because its Intel announcement explicitly referred to a 2027 virtual livery. Williams also continues to operate its Williams Gaming programme, describing esports and high-performance sim racing as part of its current activities. Neither of those facts guarantees participation in a future F1 championship, but they underline the distinction between the wider sim racing programmes operated by Formula 1 teams and the status of the F1 Sim Racing World Championship itself.
Record numbers make the uncertainty more significant
If Formula 1 ultimately changes the format or direction of its official esports programme, it would follow a season that appeared healthy according to Formula 1’s own published metrics. A 72% year-on-year increase in live viewers, nearly 13 million live viewers in total, 269 million social views and continued investment in dedicated infrastructure are not figures normally associated with a championship that had simply stopped attracting an audience.
At the same time, esports audience numbers alone do not determine whether a professional championship is commercially sustainable. Production costs, team participation, sponsorship agreements, game development cycles and Formula 1’s wider digital strategy can all influence what happens next. Formula 1 has not publicly detailed those considerations for 2027.
For now, the confirmed position is therefore straightforward: the 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship concluded successfully in May, Formula 1 subsequently highlighted significant audience growth, and competitors and commercial partners had already referenced 2027. As of September 29, however, the next World Championship has not been publicly unveiled.
Until Formula 1 or the participating teams provide further information, claims that F1 Sim Racing has been cancelled, sold or definitively abandoned remain unconfirmed.
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