Dutch talent now makes his dream come true in Formula 1

Jarno Opmeer won the F1 Esports Series, the first Dutchman to do so. After running out of money for a career in motorsport, it is now possible for him to continue on the simulator.

As a young boy, Opmeer started karting and he appeared to have a talent for it. As part of the Renault programme, he ended up in formula cars, but it soon ended there. Opmeer didn't have the necessary financial support to get ahead and then chose a different route.

''It stopped at a certain point because I didn't have the sponsorship to move to Formula 3 or to stay in Formula Renault. So I had to do something different and had always been good with simulators compared to other drivers. Even back then people said I had to do something with esports,'' Opmeer said to The Race.

However, he deliberately chose the Formula 1 option. ''Formula 1 has always been something I have looked up to and dreamed about. That was the reason I chose the Formula 1 variant,'' says Opmeer. Where other simulations are a bit closer to reality, Opmeer had to unlearn a lot with the Codemasters game.

''It gave me a small head start that I had experience with real racing, but on the other hand I also had to unlearn a lot of things that I had been doing for years. I had to put in a lot of hours to become the fastest in this simulation,'' concludes the new F1 Esports Series champion.