November marks the end of the 2018 Formula 1 season, but not the end of cool activities at the McLaren Technology Centre. On Saturday 1 December, the semi-finals for McLaren’s esports competition takes place.

We all know what the result of last year's competition was… but this year more talent lines up to earn their spot in the McLaren Shadow Grand Final, and where they’ll battle as hard as they can to be the Shadow Champion in January 2019.

Obviously, I’ve been in the situation they are in right now, and from my personal point of view it was quite tricky to get in your comfortable groove early on. Just imagine being in an incredible place like the MTC first time… and while you try to let that soak in, there are cameras everywhere. Just one of these things is quite an impression if it’s the first time... let alone both at the same time!

A few weeks ago, I attended a Shadow qualifier event in Paris with McLaren and Logitech G. I’ve never actually been to the French capital before, so this trip turned into a win-win situation.

Paris Games Week was a lot bigger than I initially thought. The Logitech G stage looked impressive, and everything from the rigs to the wheels was as good as gamers could ask for. After doing a few pieces to camera, and the VIP race on stage, the day ended with the prize giving ceremony for the overall winner of the qualifier. Kristian Kwietniewski was the best of the rest, and won his place in the Shadow semi-final. He’s one of eight at the MTC fighting to earn their spot for the final next year.

Looking at the various platforms and games used this weekend, (Real Racing 3, rFactor 2, Forza Motorsport 7, Project Cars 2 and iRacing) and the rapid speed they will alternate through them, it will be a tough job for every single one of them. You’ll see who’s comfortable in what platform, but even more importantly, how they cope with the ones they don’t feel that comfortable with!

I can't wait to watch the racers battle it out. Saturday’s event will be broadcast on YouTube between 19:00 - 21:00 GMT right here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWIgO4zAr34 so join me and watch it live.

Rudy.