Le Mans to the rhythm of Twitch and F4
Last year, the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans hosted a race that featured F4 cars. However, instead of the usual trainee drivers, this time around, around twenty streamers and videographers led by Squeezie took the wheel. These individuals underwent several months of supervised training by the French Motor Sports Federation (FFSA) to ensure their safety and to deliver an entertaining performance.
Notably, more than a million people gathered on Twitch to witness Sylvain (Villebrequin) emerge victorious shortly after the race began. Inspired by its success, Squeezie officially announced the organization of a second GP Explorer event in March.
For the second edition, some of the previous drivers returned while new faces, including rappers Soso Maness and SCH, joined the race. After months of training and uncertainties, all the participants gathered this weekend in Sarthe on the iconic Bugatti circuit.
A mixed race, but an absolute record and a great atmosphere!
On Saturday morning, 24 drivers woke up knowing that they would hit the track in front of a crowd of over 60,000 people. GP Explorer 2 featured the same underlying concept, but this time there were added prestigious guests. Besides the presence of GMK with its sports cars, the audience had the opportunity to witness demonstrations by Théo Pourchaire and Victor Martins in their F2 cars. Additionally, the drivers of the Alpine F1 team, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, made an appearance to rev the engines of their 2021 F1 cars and perform a few donuts.
The event followed the classic format, starting with free practice in the morning, followed by qualifying at 2 p.m., and concluding with the race. As expected, Depielo, who started on pole last year and finished second, secured the victory under the scorching sun. Sylvain and Etienne Mustache finished in second and third place, respectively. However, the race encountered difficulties when both Manon Lanza and Maxime Biaggi were forced out after colliding. Although Manon Lanza faced online harassment after the incident, she was unhurt after medical examinations.
SCH and Kekra also did not complete the race, which experienced significant interruptions under yellow or red flags. Nevertheless, the event managed to captivate the audience, both in the stands and on Twitch. Squeezie, who set a record last year, regained the French streaming record with over 1.3 million spectators. As for future editions of GP Explorer, Squeezie remains uncertain but open to the possibility. The remarkable driving skills and the public’s demand for more make it an enticing prospect. The question remains as to whether the videographer will opt for another event with less editing or choose a different approach. Until then, speculation will continue regarding the next set of participants on the starting grid.
