Mercedes-AMG Returns to iRacing With Real F1 Prizes

The Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Virtual Championship returns to iRacing in 2026, and it does so with a format that, honestly, strikes me as one of the most interesting proposals we have seen in official manufacturer-backed virtual competitions in recent years.

The championship will consist of six events and ten rounds, running between August and October 2026. So far, nothing out of the ordinary. The juicy part is how the grid is structured.

There will be two divisions of 36 drivers each:

• Division 1: made up of the 36 fastest drivers from the qualifying phase. This is where the elite live, the ones fighting for the big prizes.
• Division 2: and here comes the detail I like the most. This division will be filled through a raffle among participants. Yes, you read that right. You do not need to be an alien behind the wheel to live the experience of an official championship. Sometimes, luck races too.

But be careful, nobody should get too comfortable: after the third event there will be relegations and promotions. The bottom three drivers in Division 1 will be relegated, the top drivers in Division 2 will be offered a promotion, and a new slate of raffle winners will be drawn to fill out the second division.

How to Qualify

The door is already open. Qualifying takes place through iRacing’s Time Attack mode, featuring the Mercedes-AMG GT3 2020 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, and it will be available through July 19.

My personal advice: if you have iRacing, jump in even if it is just to try. Spa with a GT3 is one of those combinations that justify the subscription on their own. Taking Eau Rouge and Raidillon flat out in the AMG is something you have to feel at least once in your life, even if it is from your couch at home.

The Calendar

Here is the full championship schedule:

• August 5: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
• August 19: Oulton Park
• September 2: Mugello Circuit
• September 30: Road Atlanta
• October 14: Fuji Speedway
• October 28: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

Another smart move is the variety in race formats:

• At Spa and Road Atlanta, races will last 45 minutes with a mandatory pit stop. Here is where strategy, traffic management, and a cool head come into play.
• At the remaining rounds, the menu will be two 20-minute sprint races. Pure intensity, with zero room to recover from a first-lap mistake.

And one important detail that levels the playing field: all races will run with a fixed setup. No spending hours in the virtual garage fine-tuning the car. Here, the best driver wins, not the one with the best data engineering behind them. Hats off to this decision, because it makes the competition far more democratic.

The Prizes

And now we get to the part that will make anyone’s pulse race. The championship winners will be eligible for a haul that goes far beyond a digital trophy:

• A Mercedes-AMG Motorsport GT Sport Experience, to feel in the flesh what you have been simulating for months.
• A Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Track Side Experience. Living a Grand Prix weekend from the inside is the dream of any motorsport fan, no exceptions.
• A Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Gaming Hardware Upgrade, because refreshing the gear you compete with never hurts.

Between the raffle system for Division 2, the fixed setup that balances the scales, and a qualifying phase open to everyone through July 19, this championship has removed almost every usual barrier to entry.

If you have a wheel, an iRacing subscription, and the desire to experience Spa at the wheel of an AMG GT3, you know what to do this month. See you at Eau Rouge.

Remember, you can join iRacing clicking here.

See you on the track!