Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Esports Team has confirmed Manuel Biancolilla, John Evans and Simon Weigang as the team's F1 Esports Pro Championship line-up, as the team looks to build on a strong debut season in 2022.
Having finished second in the Drivers' Championship and third in the Constructors' Championship last year, AMF1 Esports' all-new line-up is determined to carry the momentum built in 2021 into the sixth running of the series.
With an exciting combination of experience and fresh talent, the team has already shown good form in 2022: narrowly missing out on a semi-final spot in the V10 R-League and adding to its portfolio with an inaugural season in SRO Esports earlier in the year.
Manuel Biancolilla returns to F1 Esports after a year away from the series, having previously raced with Toro Rosso (AlphaTauri). A finalist in last year's Formula E: Accelerate series and a podium finisher in the 2020 Le Mans 24 Hours Virtual, representing Aston Martin, Manuel has shown pace across a variety of virtual racing disciplines.
John Evans steps up to the Pro Championship for 2022 after a strong run in the F1 Esports Challengers series. John is no stranger to high level F1 league racing, finishing runner-up in the second tier of Premier Sim Gaming Leagues' F1 Championship in the summer of 2021 before graduating to the top tier for 2022. John also finished third in World Online Racing's championship at the end of the 2021.
Simon Weigang brings a wealth of experience to AMF1 Esports. Signed by Renault (Alpine) in 2019 via the Pro Draft selection process, Simon impressed on his debut and has since fronted the efforts of both Alfa Romeo and Haas over the last two seasons, becoming a regular points scorer.
The 2022 F1 Esports Pro Championship will be the first with the new generation of ground-effect cars. While the 12-round format featured in previous seasons remains, a new three-day format will see every qualifying session and race livestreamed. The season is set to begin on 14th September.
It's going to be kind of a comeback for me this year and I can't wait to be competing in the series again.
Manuel Biancolilla
"I'm excited to be back in the F1 Esports Pro Championship. It's going to be kind of a comeback for me this year and I can't wait to be competing in the series again.
"There are a lot of teams that are going to be fast, so I think there will be several drivers fighting at the front. Representing an F1 team, especially Aston Martin, means a lot to me.
"I'm honoured to be given the opportunity, so I will try to make the team proud of my performances."
Representing Aston Martin means a lot to me. I always looked up to the brand as a kid and I have always loved the cars.
John Evans
"Representing Aston Martin means a lot to me. I always looked up to the brand as a kid and I have always loved the cars.
"It really is one of the dream teams to be a part of. I'm also extremely excited for the F1 Esports Pro Championship. It's a new experience for me and I can't wait to get started.
"My goals for my first season are to score regular points and be as consistent as possible."
With Esports, you must reinvent yourself every year and we're all enjoying the challenge.
Simon Weigang
"It's very special to represent Aston Martin in the virtual racing world: probably the most special experience of my career so far.
"This year's F1 game is quite a bit different to last year: not only are the cars different, but they have tweaked the physics a little bit as well. With Esports, you must reinvent yourself every year and we're all enjoying the challenge.
"I'm looking forward to taking on the 2022 season and seeing what we can achieve as a team."
We're enjoying learning the new F1 game and developing our relationship as a team.
Miguel Faisca (Team Manager)
"The field is very competitive this year and that makes it very hard to make predictions, but I am confident we can put in a strong performance and achieve some good points finishes this season.
"It's exciting to return for 2022 with an all-new driver line-up, so part of the challenge will be understanding the different strengths and skills from everyone as we work together.
"We're enjoying learning the new F1 game and developing our relationship as a team."
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