The new Red Bull recruitEarlier this year, Lewis Hamilton announced that he would be leaving Mercedes to race for Ferrari from 2025 onwards. Following the footsteps of the seven-time world champion, the Silver Arrows’ two-time Esports champion, Jarno Opmeer has also left the team.
Opmeer has left the Silver Arrows’ Esports team to join rivals Red Bull. This news has left fans in disbelief with the Brackley-based team losing exceptional driving talent both in real life and on the virtual race track.
The 24-year-old made his F1 Esports debut with Renault in 2019. He then moved to Alfa Romeo where he won his maiden Esports title in 2020.
The new Red Bull recruit made it two wins in a row by bagging the championship once again in 2021 – this time for Mercedes. He is a twelve-time winner in the series with a staggering twenty-seven podiums to date.
In addition to F1 Esports, the Dutchman also represented the Silver Arrows in the Formula E: Accelerate series. In his rookie season, he finished fifth and ended up as the runner-up in the championship in 2022.
As soon as the news of Opmeer joining the Red Bull Esports team became official, fans stormed X (formerly Twitter) to share their reactions.
How merc lost 2 goats in 1 year needs to be studied
— KingAsher (@KingAsher7) August 21, 2024
Damn Lewis move affected esports team too
— JS01 (@JOY5T1CK_5P4RKY) August 21, 2024
Jarno starting his villian arc by leaving Merc and I’m here for it
— KLG NobleWarrior88 (@NGaming88) August 21, 2024
Opmeer would race for the Milton-Keynes-based team after a pretty solid 2023-24 campaign under his belt. The 24-year-old finished the season, after twelve rounds, fourth in the driver’s standings with 122 points to his name.
Opmeer continued his record of winning at least one race every championship season. Moreover, he stood on the podium twice, back-to-back, during the Sao Paulo GP and Las Vegas GP events. He missed out on the title by fifty points.
Interestingly, Frederik Rasmussen, the 2023-24 title winner, for Ferrari, will partner Opmeer at Red Bull from next season onwards. The duo is regarded as one of the most successful driver pairings in the history of Formula 1 Esports.
