What happened: A live stream of the F1 26 video game, running a simulated Spanish Grand Prix, drew more than 5,000 concurrent viewers. The broadcast was framed around a virtual battle between Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli rather than an on-track result.

Why it matters: Sim-racing and gaming streams have become a steady source of off-weekend engagement for the F1 audience, keeping fans active between real race events. Strong concurrent numbers on a game broadcast show how the title's release window continues to convert casual followers into viewers.

What to watch: Watch whether these game streams sustain similar audiences across other circuits and whether the figures hold once the real race calendar resumes.