Otis Lawrence Crowned F1 Sim Racing Champion as Red Bull Secures Fourth Constructors’ Title

The 2026 Formula 1 Sim Racing World Championship delivered a dramatic finish as Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing secured a record-breaking fourth Constructors’ Championship and Alpine’s Otis Lawrence clinched his first Drivers’ Championship following a tense finale at the virtual Yas Marina Circuit.

Both title battles went down to the wire at Formula 1’s Media and Technology Centre in Biggin Hill, with Red Bull ultimately emerging on top of the teams’ standings to claim the largest share of the championship’s $750,000 prize pool. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Welsh standout Lawrence held off a late charge from Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports driver Ismael Fahssi to secure the Drivers’ crown in thrilling fashion.

The 2026 campaign featured nine Formula 1 teams competing across 12 rounds held over four live events. The season opened at DreamHack Birmingham, where more than 50,000 fans attended the global esports and gaming festival, while the remaining events were staged at Formula 1’s purpose-built sim racing studio in Biggin Hill.

The championship also continued its rapid growth in audience reach. Formula 1 reported that the DreamHack Birmingham opener attracted more than 3.9 million live viewers across three rounds of racing, marking an 85% increase from the opening event of the 2025 season.

“The 2026 Formula 1 Sim Racing World Championship has provided an incredible season, marked by a number of exciting milestones that continue to elevate the series,” Emily Prazer, Chief Commercial Officer at Formula 1, said in a press release. “From racing in front of 50,000 passionate fans at DreamHack Birmingham, to hosting events in our own purpose-built facility at the Media and Technology Centre in Biggin Hill, we’ve taken significant steps forward in delivering a truly world-class esports competition.”

“Congratulations to Red Bull and Alpine’s Otis Lawrence on their outstanding achievements this season. To win four Constructors’ Championships in such a competitive field is a remarkable accomplishment, and for Otis to become Champion at just 18 years old is an incredible feat,” she added.

For Red Bull, the championship victory further cemented the team’s dominance in F1 Sim Racing.

“We entered the 2026 season as the defending champions, with everything to lose,” Morgan Ashurst, Esports Lead of Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing, said. “The team are ecstatic to not only defend the title, but write history yet again as the first double back-to-back Teams’ champions. Frede and Jarno have been a formidable force on track, backed up by our incredible engineers Ondrej and Liam.”

Ashurst added that the organization is already looking ahead to next season and upcoming content updates for the series.

For Lawrence, the title marks the biggest achievement of his young sim racing career.

“Winning the Drivers’ Championship means so much to me, I have dedicated so much time to the championship, with the longer game cycle, it feels amazing to come out on top,” Lawrence said. “The highlight of the season was winning at DreamHack – to perform in front of a crowd with my family, friends and all the sim racing team was an incredible moment. I’m looking forward to coming back next year and defending the title.”

The championship also expanded its commercial portfolio in 2026 with Lenovo Legion joining as Official Technology Provider, while Aramco, AWS, and Fanatec continued their support of the growing esports series.

With record viewership, packed live events, and title battles that came down to the final race, Formula 1 Sim Racing continues to establish itself as one of the premier esports competitions in motorsports.