From gamer to the verge of F1: Esports graduate seals F2 drive

Cem Bolukbasi, pictured with Fernando Alonso at an Esports event in 2017, is joining the F2 grid in 2022

Turkey’s Cem Bolukbasi will race in Formula 2 this season, becoming the first gamer to go from F1 Esports to the Formula 1 feeder series.

After starting out on virtual racetracks with the F1 Esports series, making his debut in 2017, Bolukbasi has spent the last few years making his name in sports car and single-seater championships.

The 23-year-old will now get his chance in F2 after signing for Charouz Racing System, and says he has the ultimate goal of one day making the step up to F1.

“If I was never in F1 Esports, I would never have had the chance to get into a real car. I would not be where I am now,” said Bolukbasi.

“I think it’s also very important to be the first gamer to do this, because it can give people hope. If people see that one person can do it, they will believe they can do it as well.

“If I can go from F1 Esports to Formula 2, I think anyone can.”

The Turk raced in the F3 Asian Championship last year, scoring points in 13 of his 15 races, while he also won his debut EuroFormula Open race. He tested an F2 car after the end of last season in Abu Dhabi.

“I was in Abu Dhabi in 2017 for F1 Esports as an Esports driver,” he added. “To return after four years testing an F2 car was pretty insane for me, realising everything. I watched the F1 finale, testing, and then a day later I was driving the F2 car. I was like a kid living a dream over those five or six days.”

Bolukbasi, who has been backed by several big Turkish companies and state agencies, is the first driver from his country to compete in the Formula 2 series.