2023 F1 Esports driver Matthijs van Erven has joined the Williams Esports Academy iRacing team for the 2024 season as part of the “next chapter” in his professional career.
We are pleased to announce this amazing signing of the 21-year-old Dutchman, following his decision to explore new opportunities in his career with a change of sim racing platform. Matthijs has shown his super talent in F1 Sim Racing with R8G Esports, Haas Esports and Kick F1 Sim Racing over a number of years with a win, multiple podiums and top 10’s across the challengers and official series.
After confirming his recruitment to the roster, we sat down with the young talent to find out more about his career decision and the ambitions he has for the next chapter with Williams!
Q&A with Matthijs:
How does it feel to join the Williams Esports Academy programme?
“It's a huge privilege to be part of such an amazing team in Sim Racing known for its quality and successful academy programme. They have built such a strong structure that I will learn a lot from and cannot wait to have them support me in my career going forward!”
Why have you chosen to take this new path in your career?
“My next chapter will be a completely new area for me. I decided to step away from my trusted environment and move to a fresh new discipline of sim racing!
"This has been a long made decision. I’ve always loved competing at the highest level in the EA F1 platform and couldn’t be more proud about what I’ve achieved so far, but I’ve had a change of heart over the last 2 years as I felt the game didn’t challenge me anymore and I lost motivation. It’s time to test myself on a new platform and a new style of racing.”
What do you want to achieve with the Williams Esports Academy?
“The main goal is to work hard with my new teammates and to achieve victories in special events and major championships, obviously. It’s my ambition to always do better and now my focus is to help the Williams Academy at the highest levels and show our ability to fight amongst the front packs against our fellow competitors!
"For my personal career, I have full confidence with Williams that we can work really well together and develop both on the track and off track for me as a person. The aim is to prove myself and gain promotion to the main team eventually.”
Head Coach, Ben Hawkins and the wider team were delighted to secure Matthijs into the Williams Esports Academy iRacing team and look forward to working closely within our high performance and holistic environment to become the very best and to provide the chances that drivers deserve, to improve in their racing careers and everyday life!
Ben Hawkins - Head Coach:
“We are excited to welcome Matthijs van Erven to the team. He is a versatile talent whose prowess extends across various sim racing disciplines, including the prestigious F1 Esports championships and now iRacing.
"Matthijs' adaptability and commitment to excellence makes him a valuable asset to our team. We are dedicated to nurturing his talent and supporting his personal growth, as we aim to maximise his potential and achieve success together.”
Welcome to the Team, Matthijs!
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