On December 7th, the MetaSVS 2024 Shanghai Virtual Sports Open Finals along with the MetaSVS Electric Music Party took place in Shanghai with great enthusiasm. Amidst the atmosphere of trendy electronic music, the 2024 Virtual F1 China Open Finals determined the annual champion. Driver Tang Tianyu won the race by utilizing a late-braking maneuver in the final lap.
Pentos, the official sponsor of the 2024 Virtual F1 China Open, sent participants and provided a Pentos Virtual F1 interactive experience area for the audience to experience the charm of F1 virtual driving. After the start of the race, Tang Tianyu and Yuan Yifan, who have dominated virtual F1 competitions online and offline over the past five years, engaged in fierce competition driving Mercedes and Alpine cars, respectively. Their battle lasted the entire race, showcasing the highest level of competition in Chinese virtual F1.
In April, with the holding of the F1 Chinese Grand Prix, the 2024 Virtual F1 China Open officially kicked off. The event’s audition runs throughout the year. In fact, since Jiushi Smart Sports first introduced F1 esports to China in 2019, this virtual sports event is also the only regionally authorized event by F1 officials globally. The heated development of virtual F1 and the concurrent holding of the MetaSVS Bright Dairy Plus Virtual Racing Competition have satisfied the driving desires of fans.
Spreading globally with the IP effect, attracting more and broader international cooperation, and enabling more top global players and teams to participate to achieve brand internationalization and create an international comprehensive brand event for virtual sports has become the planning and layout of Jiushi Smart Sports. This year, the event has joined hands with Valvoline, the official sponsor of the 2024 Virtual F1 China Open, and Bank of Ningbo, the industry partner of the 2024 Virtual F1 China Open, to present the highest level of virtual F1 to广大车迷. The track competition that fans can see in the finals showcases the competition quality and intensity of the Virtual F1 China Open. In the past five years, this event has become the jewel in the crown of China’s virtual racing sports. Valvoline became the official lubricant partner of the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team in 2023. In the past year of cooperation, Valvoline and the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team have presented a series of exciting racing feasts to fans around the world on the global tracks. This sponsorship of the 2024 Virtual F1 China Open not only shows Valvoline’s continuous support for motorsports but also further highlights its outstanding strength and responsibility as a global lubricant brand. The high-end fully synthetic PETROPOWER engine oil jointly launched by Valvoline and Tuhu this year adopts the carefully selected ValPur base oil technology, which gathers decades of research by Valvoline and its parent company Saudi Aramco’s scientists. In addition to the exhibition booths and exhibits at the event site, Valvoline also sent Han Cheng’en as a driver to drive the Aston Martin racing car sponsored by its parent company Saudi Aramco in reality, which expands the commercialization imagination of the virtual F1 project. Han Cheng’en introduced his race: ‘I performed exceptionally in qualifying and got the starting position of P10, which is 0. 2 seconds faster than in practice sessions. At the start of the race, there was an accident, and I was forced to enter the pit and change the nose of the car and put on hard tires. I suddenly dropped to 18th place, but with the infighting between the two Williams drivers in front, I rose to 14th place. Finally, there was a small collision with the Haas car. I gave up my position, but he had a three-second penalty, which allowed me to finish in 13th place. ‘Han Cheng’en also introduced his connection with virtual F1. “Four years ago, I started playing virtual F1 in the United States. At that time, I began my racing career with a gamepad.” But now his full-time job is also related to racing. He is involved in the marketing work of Valvoline. He is very glad to represent Valvoline to participate in the virtual F1 competition again. Through this competition and sponsorship of other motorsports, Valvoline hopes to shape the brand image of high-performance lubricants in the Chinese market.
In daily driving, Valvoline’s PetroPower luxury gold engine oil makes me clearly feel the enhanced power of the engine and reduced fuel consumption. On a larger scale, before the holding of this Virtual F1 China Open, Shanghai renewed its agreement with FOM. The F1 Chinese Grand Prix will be extended until 2030. At the site of the just-concluded seventh China International Import Expo, Valvoline brought the 2024 Virtual F1 China Open to bring the speed and passion of ‘driving’ F1 to audiences at home and abroad. All these good news indicate that the Virtual F1 China Open will bring more exciting competitions to fans in the future.
