F1 Esports - Who is David Tonizza?
The F1 Esports Series is not going away anytime soon so let’s learn more about current Esports championship leader David Tonizza as he could very well take the title from reigning champion Brendon Leigh.
It is well known that Scuderia Ferrari have been in the headlines with regard to the developing relationship between Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel. However, it may be less well known that The Prancing Horse has also been hitting the headlines following their success in the virtual world. The F1 Esports Series is not going away anytime soon so let’s learn more about current Esports championship leader David Tonizza as he could very well take the title from reigning champion Brendon Leigh.
First, the story of David Tonizza’s Esports adventure goes back to 2018 due to the fact that at this stage the talented Italian, despite feeling ready for the Pro Draft himself and being eligible…was not chosen by a team in 2018.
“I was there and nobody wanted me; I grew a lot and finally someone picked me. I'm proud to represent @FerrariEsports in this year's F1 Esports Pro Series, I'll give everything I can to bring the team to the top, where it deserves to be!”
This was the declaration made on Twitter following being chosen for Ferrari Driver Academy – the Scuderia Ferrari Esports team in 2019. So how did Ferrari manage to pick such a talented racer?
Due to the fact that 2019 is the first time Ferrari entered the field of F1 Esports, they were rewarded with the first pick during the Pro Draft back in July 17th. Following a 1 to 1 meeting with eligible drivers and observing their race craft, when the time came to pick their driver, Ferrari Driver Academy knew that this talented Italian perfectly represented their brand and as such they chose him. Tonizza was a driver sought by many teams in 2019 which shows what a difference a year makes.
David Tonizza literally hit the ground running (or at least driving) because following the first 2019 F1 New Balance Esports Pro Series live event back in September, it was the Ferrari Driver Academy racer setting the pace and leading the way, with David Tonizza taking the top spot in the driver standings by the end of the event. This fine form continued yesterday due to claiming points consistently over the course of the three race events on the night.
After an uneventful race in Canada (the first race of the night) David Tonizza showed form is temporary but class is permanent due to claiming pole position and going on to convert it to a victory – his third victory of the 2019 series. Before you are concerned that F1 Esports is also processional in the same way F1 can be at times – this was far from the case. Throughout the race, Tonizza had to call on his wealth of race craft to keep Red Bull Racing’s Frederik Rasmussen behind due to the fact that the man right on the heels of Tonizza in the championship table - spent the majority of the race around the Red Bull Ring on the Italian’s gear box!
This battle was described by www.f1esports.com as: The crossover from real-world F1 to the virtual scene was clear, with the Ferrari and Red Bull battling in a similar fashion to Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix. Such similarities and declarations show how highly F1 as a whole is rating F1 Esports.
However, do not think that this series is sewn up because Tonizza’s challenger, as previously mentioned, is not far away. Unfortunately though, for Mercedes, it is not the reigning champion Brendon Leigh as he is back down in 5th place with 48 points and has a momentous task ahead of him if the plucky Brit is not to relinquish his title due to the fact that there is only Pro Series 3 (November 6th) and the Grand Final (December 4th) on the 2019 calendar.
Challenging Ferrari Driver Academy in both championships is Red Bull Racing Esports and the latter actually holds a 5-point lead over the Italian giants due to currently sitting in first in the Constructors’ Championship.
This season has much excitement to come with David Tonizza currently on 104 points but 12 points back in 2nd place is Frederik Rasmussen having amassed 92 points for Red Bull Racing Esports as we approach the business end of the season.
There are worse things you could do than watch the live streams of these virtual high octane duels when battle recommences on November 6th. It could well be a title for Ferrari in the virtual world in 2019 and then the real world inn 2020.
In the real world, Scuderia Ferrari has a problem to solve: https://www.motorlat.com/notas/f1/13141/two-prancing-horses-to-tame