Lewis Hamilton outpaced Charles Leclerc and two professional Ferrari esports competitors during an F1 25 hot-lap challenge at the Red Bull Ring. The seven-time world champion recorded a 1:06.468 around the Austrian Grand Prix venue, surprising the specialist sim racers after they also failed to beat his benchmark.
The four drivers took part in the competition for a video published on Ferrari’s YouTube channel. Although the precise times set by esports drivers John Evans and Bari Broumand were not displayed, both appeared to finish narrowly behind Hamilton, while Leclerc ended the challenge more than a second slower than his team-mate.
Lewis Hamilton sets Ferrari’s F1 25 benchmark
Each participant completed a flying lap of the Red Bull Ring using the official F1 25 video game. Hamilton stopped the clock at 1:06.468, comfortably beating Charles Leclerc’s 1:07.583 and continuing the light-hearted rivalry seen in other gaming challenges between Ferrari’s Formula 1 drivers.
The result was less unexpected when considering Hamilton’s long-standing interest in video games. The British driver played regularly during his childhood and became an ambassador for the EA Sports Formula 1 title the previous year.
Leclerc’s response to his team-mate’s performance also became part of the entertainment, with Ferrari later sharing footage of the Monegasque’s reaction to Hamilton taking on the esports competitors.
Ferrari esports specialists narrowly miss Hamilton’s time
The greater surprise came when John Evans and Bari Broumand attempted to beat Hamilton’s lap. Neither specialist was able to improve on the 1:06.468 benchmark, despite their experience competing at the highest level of Formula 1 esports.
The video did not reveal their exact results. However, their reactions suggested that both had finished only a fraction behind, potentially within a couple of tenths of the seven-time world champion.
Evans previously represented Aston Martin and competed in the F1 Sim Racing World Championship during the 2022 and 2023-24 seasons. He currently holds the position of Ferrari’s third esports driver.
Broumand has previously competed in Mercedes and McLaren colours. The Iranian driver finished fourth in the 2022 Formula 1 esports championship before later joining Ferrari’s programme.
Different car setups may have influenced the challenge
Broumand indicated during the video that the esports professionals were not using their usual personal setups. That detail may have had a meaningful effect because individual configuration choices can significantly influence a virtual car’s balance, behaviour and ultimate lap time.
The challenge therefore differed from the highly specialised preparation normally used in professional esports competition. It also remained separate from the sophisticated factory simulator programmes through which Hamilton and Leclerc contribute to Ferrari’s real Formula 1 development and correlation work.
Even so, Hamilton believed there was considerably more performance available. After reviewing his attempt, the Ferrari driver suggested that a perfectly executed lap could produce a time in the high 1:04s.
Such a result would place him close to the leading entries on the global Austria time-trial leaderboards, underlining how competitive his pace was despite not being a professional esports racer.
Hamilton continues using Ferrari’s paddock gaming rig
Formula 1 previously organised a virtual championship for its race drivers in 2020 while real-world competition was suspended during the pandemic. George Russell, who was then racing for Williams, emerged as the winner of that series, although Lewis Hamilton did not participate.
Hamilton has nevertheless continued spending time on the official Formula 1 game since joining Ferrari. Videos shared through the team’s social media channels have shown the 41-year-old completing additional laps during later Grand Prix weekends.
The gaming station inside Ferrari’s paddock building includes a racing wheel, pedals and a curved display. While it cannot reproduce the complexity of the team’s professional simulator, the setup has allowed Hamilton to continue testing his virtual pace against Charles Leclerc and some of Ferrari’s most accomplished esports specialists.
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