The line-up announcements for ESL R1 have kept on coming ever since the competition was announced on January 23rd – now, Team Redline follows suit: The squad of Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen fields four top-level drivers, two of which were just crowned the Le Mans Virtual Series champions.
One of the most popular teams in Esports sim racing, Team Redline can usually be found running at the front, no matter if it is iRacing or rFactor 2 they are competing in. With their entry into ESL R1, this is not planned to be subject to change, as their line-up announcement clearly states: “Our drivers did not come to play around!”
To underscore this, Redline fields a quartet of strong drivers: Driving a BMW M8 GTE, Enzo Bonito and Kevin Siggy, who also took the DTM Esports title in RaceRoom in 2022, not only came second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, they also sealed the series title with their result, sharing their car with Chris Lulham and Rudy van Buren. The Italian and the Slovenian take to the grid for Redline again for the inaugural season of ESL R1 driving a BMW M4 GT3 each.
Meanwhile, Redline was on the top step of the podium in the LMP2 class in the Le Mans Virtual: 2022 Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovic, IndyCar driver Felix Rosenqvist, Lulham and Luke Bennett crossed the line in first after 365 laps, taking the win as well as third overall in the championship standings. Bennett makes the switch to the GT3 BMW for ESL R1, joining Bonito and Siggy on the RENNSPORT platform.
That leaves Jeffrey Rietveld: The Dutchman raced alongside Verstappen in the Le Mans Virtual Series in Team Redline’s #1 car and has also been a mainstay for the team in iRacing in the past. He has also found success in the Le Mans Virtual Series in the past, winning the championship in 2021/22. Now, he sets out to go for glory in the ESL R1 once it starts on February 11th at the IEM Katowice.