How seriously should we take Esports?

"Gaming" can be a taboo word in Esports and sim racing. As the pastime has become increasingly professional - and, in the case of motorsport, serious - to call it a game may provoke those invested in it to take great umbrage.

McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris has previously said he was too embarrassed to reveal his playtime on iRacing, the premier motorsport simulation platform, which one would imagine stretches into days and weeks, if not months.

But Norris has been leading the professional charge for sim racing in recent times. He's even linked up with his former F1 performance engineer, Andrew 'Jarv' Jarvis, to go over data and telemetry to prepare for some IndyCar events. That's how serious the discipline has become.

And then at the other end of the spectrum is Charles Leclerc, who has come to the virtual cockpit in a banana suit, played games such as Truck Simulator, and raced lawnmowers around Silverstone with George Russell and Alex Albon.

The trio of Leclerc, Albon and Russell in particular have been enjoying themselves during the enforced break, taking part in social events together online, streaming for their fans to watch and follow. But they've shied away from taking things too seriously, preferring to have more fun. Russell in particular has enjoyed making Albon's life hell on the virtual track, even spawning a video compilation of young Alex crying "GEORGE!" each time Russell has deliberately taken Albon out.

F1's official Esports programme has blurred the lines between serious and fun racing. The headline event has featured a mix of F1 drivers and celebrities from other arenas, including One Direction singer Liam Payne and England cricketer Ben Stokes. It's been beneficial to the viewing figures, and made for some fun racing.

But F1 has never professed its Virtual GP series to be anything more than entertainment for fans. There's no big prize money or sponsorship at stake. For those wanting to see the best exponents of Esports going wheel-to-wheel, F1 set up a series where only pro sim racers take part, meaning both 'sides' are catered for.

The "it's only a game" debate caught fire last month after IndyCar's iRacing finale, in which a couple of major incidents, where drivers deliberately took others out, brought the series to a sour and controversial conclusion. Norris - a high-profile guest - called 2019 Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud "salty" after Pagenaud deliberately crashed into him, while Santino Ferrucci denied Oliver Askew victory with a NASCAR-style swerve, later seeking to justify his actions by saying "it's only a game".

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In some ways, Ferrucci is right. This is just a virtual event, some fun that will never truly replace real-world racing. Drivers can get away with some riskier moves knowing there is no physical or financial cost if they get it wrong. But that devalues the amount of effort many have been putting into sim racing over the past few months. Norris and his engineers gave up a lot of their free time to prepare for events. What was the point if it was going to end in farce?

If a driver wants to crash deliberately, they won't be hurting just their own race, but that of the three other drivers sharing the car

The important thing is for Esports events to have a united message in their levels of professionalism. While it may be no substitute for on-track action, it still has an important place within the motorsport landscape, more so than ever in recent months.

Some will treat it as seriously as possible - and that should be respected. And for the rest, looking for more fun, perhaps sitting in their banana suits, that should be encouraged too. But it should not spoil the experience for those taking it seriously.

That message of respect is something at the heart of plans for the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans, taking place this weekend. We're unlikely to see a repeat of the IndyCar farce thanks to a strong set of regulations with penalties for infringements and, more importantly, the team element. If a driver wants to crash deliberately, they won't be hurting just their own race, but that of the three other drivers sharing the car. It is very much an event for those who treat their Esports with professionalism, as thought it were a real race.

All Esports is gaming, but not all gaming is Esports...