Home Esports Red Bull gives F1 test chance to ESports racer Sebastian Job

Red Bull, F1, Sebastian Job, ESports — Sebastian Job seen driving the RB8 at Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria on October 31, 2024. // Rutger Pauw / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202412090244 // Usage for editorial use only //

Red Bull gives F1 test chance to ESports racer Sebastian Job

15/12/2024

Red Bull gives chance to its ESports driver Sebastian Job to drive the F1 car for his Game to Glory: Level Up series.

Proving that skill in the virtual world can translate to real life talent on track, Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing’s Sebastian Job undertook a challenge that launched him from his gaming chair to the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car and ultimately to the championship-winning RB8. This unique and daring challenge was conceived with the hope that sim racing can prove a legitimate entry point into the world of single-seaters, widening the talent pool and opportunities available in motorsport.

The ultimate challenge was created for Sebi – successfully driving and performing in a Formula One car. Serving as the final and most critical part of the challenge – stepping behind the wheel of the RB8 – Patrick Friesacher, the driver who has driven more laps at Red Bull Ring than any other driver, set a benchmark time of 1:16.620. After only nine laps, Sebi posted a fastest lap of 1:17.701 in the RB8, just roughly a second off the benchmark, and proving that sim racing talent can be converted to single-seater driving prowess.

Sebi’s journey was captured in partnership with the Mobil 1 brand and Bybit via a four-part docuseries, Game to Glory: Level Up, that tells the story of the 24-year-old Brit’s testing transition from sim to reality. Acting as a sequel to the 2020 Game to Glory series on Sebi’s success in PESC, the series opens with testing the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, moving next to an F4 car, transitioning to the Formula Renault 3.5, before taking the quantum leap into the RB8, formerly driven by none other than Red Bull Racing legend, Sebastian Vettel.

Starting at Snetterton, Norfolk, Sebi successfully tested a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, the very same car he has taken three titles in the Porsche Esports Carrera Cup GB series with (2021, 2023, 2024). Clocking in a remarkable fastest lap of the day at a 1:50.450 with race fuel – a time that would have been good enough to challenge for pole position the last time the series visited the track in 2022 – Sebi proved he was ready for the next challenge.

In preparation for the physical test that would come with driving the powerhouse RB8, Sebi visited the state-of-the-art Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre in Salzburg, Austria, to better understand the physical demands and what it will actually take to drive an F1 car. The Athlete Performance Centre is where Red Bull athletes of all disciplines including Formula One drivers train and are evaluated, with the aim of maximising individual potential and optimum performance.

Onward to Red Bull Ring. On 31 October, Oracle Red Bull Racing set out a 3-tiered test for the young racer, starting with the 200-horsepower Formula 4 car, the 500-horsepower Formula Renault 3.5, and then ultimately the RB8, aided along the way by former-Formula One driver and current Red Bull Athlete, Patrick Friesacher.

Starting in the F4 car, the biggest initial change was adapting from a GT car to a single-seater, including the physical elements of G-forces. At Red Bull Ring, heavy fog in the morning proved tricky with getting tyres up to temperature, which highlighted a major difference between virtual and reality – weather and track conditions. By the afternoon sessions the weather cleared, and Seb transitioned to the Formula Renault 3.5, which touts 300 more horsepower than its predecessor.

Described as a ‘raw’ and a ‘physically difficult’ car, Seb performed better than expected, and reconnected with the feeling of sim racing and being fluid and in step with the car. Powered by Bybit and the Mobil 1 brand, Game to Glory: Level Up showcases the journey of a lifetime – rapidly rising through the ranks of motorsport in the ultimate physical and mental challenge and culminating in Sebastian Job getting his first taste of a Formula One car.

Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal, Christian Horner, said: “This challenge was conceived to test if virtual talent could translate to on-track success, and Sebi absolutely proved that. I don’t think we can underestimate the feat that was achieved, with very limited run time and a lot at stake, Sebi performed better than expected and even looked competitive in the various specs. Formula One cars are the quickest cars in the world, and after only 10 laps he was roughly a second off one of our more experienced and proven drivers. This is a testament to the depth of the talent pool in sim racing, and we hope to see more opportunities like this in the future.”

Head of Esports at Oracle Red Bull Racing, Joe Soltysik said: “This project is a major step forward for sim racing. Sebi has proved that his skill in the virtual world can translate to real life talent. While we have seen several stories of this kind, we believe that this is the first time a sim racer has driven a Formula One car. We believe that Sebi’s story is a remarkable foundation for future stars to follow in his footsteps, potentially broadening the talent pool for motorsport to those who may never have had the opportunity to race from an early age. I’d like to thank our partners Bybit and Mobil 1 for turning this dream into a reality and can’t wait to see what the future holds for Sebastian.”