Jarno Opmeer
Jarno Opmeer | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 11, 2000 Dordrecht, Netherlands |
| Occupation(s) | Esports competitor, former racing driver |
| Known for | Formula One Esports Series champion (2020, 2021, 2025) |
Jarno Opmeer (; born 11 April 2000) is a professional Dutch esports competitor and former racing driver currently representing Red Bull Racing in the Formula One Esports Series. He is a three-time champion of the Formula One Sim Racing World Championship, having secured titles in 2020, 2021, and 2025.
Originating from Dordrecht, Opmeer began karting competitively at a young age, capturing several national championships before moving up to junior formula categories in 2016. That year, he finished as runner-up to Richard Verschoor in the SMP F4 Championship while racing for MP Motorsport, and also claimed multiple podium finishes in the Spanish F4 Championship. In 2017, he advanced to the Formula Renault Eurocup with MP Motorsport under the Renault Sport Academy banner, earning a podium in the Northern European Cup but was released after four rounds during the 2018 Eurocup campaign.
Shifting focus to sim racing, Opmeer entered the 2019 Formula One Esports Series representing Renault, finishing fourth in his debut season. He then joined Alfa Romeo's esports outfit in 2020, where he captured his inaugural championship. Opmeer successfully defended his crown with Mercedes in 2021 before transferring to Red Bull for the 2025 season, securing another title. Outside of Formula One Esports, he competed for Mercedes-EQ in Formula E: Accelerate between 2021 and 2022.
Formula 4
In 2016, Opmeer transitioned to single-seater racing by entering the SMP F4 Championship. He amassed seven wins and thirteen podiums throughout the season, ultimately finishing second behind fellow Dutch driver Richard Verschoor. Additionally, he took part in two rounds of the Spanish F4 with MP Motorsport, achieving five podium finishes across six races.
Formula Renault
Opmeer continued his progression in 2017 by competing with MP Motorsport in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. He scored points on seven occasions, including a notable fifth-place finish at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, ending the season fifteenth overall behind teammates Richard Verschoor and Neil Verhagen.
Formula One
In February 2017, Opmeer was inducted into the Renault Sport Academy.
Formula One Esports
April 2019 saw Opmeer join the Renault–Vitality Esports Team for the third installment of the Formula One Esports Series. He concluded his rookie year fourth in the individual standings and contributed to his team's fourth-place finish in the teams' classification.
For the following year’s competition, Opmeer switched to the Alfa Romeo Orlen Esports Team, where he triumphed in four races and secured the drivers' championship by a margin of 22 points over Frederik Rasmussen.
On 26 January 2021, Opmeer signed with the Mercedes esports squad. He captured the 2021 Formula One Esports Series title with four victories and seven podium appearances, narrowly edging out Rasmussen by eight points.
The 2022 season proved difficult due to qualifying challenges; nonetheless, Opmeer won two back-to-back races and finished fifth overall.
At the outset of the 2023–24 season, starting ninth on the grid in Bahrain, he achieved a second-place finish. Despite persistent qualifying difficulties, he secured a win at Silverstone and ended fourth overall before parting ways with Mercedes.
After becoming a free agent, Opmeer inked a multi-year deal with Red Bull Sim Racing on 21 August 2024, joining reigning champion Frederik Rasmussen. During the 2025 season, he captured his third drivers' title with three race wins and played a key role in Red Bull’s triumph in the teams' championship.
Formula E: Accelerate
In 2021, Opmeer became a member of the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team competing in the esports competition Formula E: Accelerate. He secured fifth place in the overall standings, achieving his inaugural podium finish during the final event held in Rome. The following year, at the 2022 London Open double-header, he advanced to finish second in the overall classification.
Karting career overview
| Season | Series | Team | Final Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Dutch Championship — Mini Juniors | 1st | |
| 2010 | Dutch Championship — Mini Juniors | 1st | |
| 2011 | Belgian Championship — KF5 | 15th | |
| Dutch Championship — KF3 | 1st | ||
| 2012 | Dutch Championship — KF3 | 4th | |
| 2013 | German Karting Championship — Junior | 12th | |
| CIK-FIA European Championship — KFJ | 41st | ||
| 2014 | IAME International Final — X30 Junior | 17th | |
| German Karting Championship — Junior | Maddox Racing Team | 7th | |
| Rotax Max Wintercup — Rotax Max Junior | 31st | ||
| 2015 | German Karting Championship — Senior | Maddox Racing Team | 11th |
| SKUSA SuperNationals — KZ2 | 39th |
Racing career overview
| Season | Series | Team | Events | Victories | Pole Positions | Fastest Laps | Podiums | Points Accumulated | Final Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | SMP F4 Championship | MP Motorsport | 21 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 264 | 2nd |
| F4 Spanish Championship | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 80 | NC† | ||
| 2017 | Formula Renault Eurocup | MP Motorsport | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 15th |
| Formula Renault 2.0 NEC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 68 | 10th |
† – Not eligible for championship ranking due to incomplete participation.
(Template:Motorsport driver results legend#key) (Bolded race numbers signify pole position) (Italicized race numbers denote fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Final Position | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 SMP F4 Championship season#20162016 | MP Motorsport |
style="background:#DFDFDF;" | Sochi Autodrom#Race_1_SOC_1_SOC_1SOC |
style="background:#FFFFBF;" | Sochi Autodrom#Race_2_SOC_2_SOC_2SOC |
style="background:#FFDF9F;" | Circuit Park Zandvoort#Race_1_ZAN_1_ZAN_1ZAN1 |
style="background:#FFFFBF;" | Circuit Park Zandvoort#Race_2_ZAN_2_ZAN_2ZAN1 |
style="background:#FFFFBF;" | Circuit Park Zandvoort#Race_3_ZAN_3_ZAN_3ZAN1 |
style="background:#FFFFBF;" | Circuit Park Zandvoort#Race_4_ZAN_4_ZAN_4ZAN2 |
style="background:#FFFFBF;" | Circuit Park Zandvoort#Race_5_ZAN_5_ZAN_5ZAN2 |
style="background:#FFDF9F;" | Circuit Park Zandvoort#Race_6_ZAN_6_ZAN_6ZAN2 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | Moscow Raceway#Race_1_MSC_1_MSC_1MSC1 |
style="background:#DFDFDF;" | Moscow Raceway#Race_2_MSC_2_MSC_2MSC1 |
style="background:#FFDF9F;" | Moscow Raceway#Race_3_MSC_3_MSC_3MSC1 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | Moscow Raceway#Race_4_MSC_4_MSC_4MSC2 |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" | Moscow Raceway#Race_5_MSC_5_MSC_5MSC2 |
style="background:#DFDFDF;" | Moscow Raceway#Race_6_MSC_6_MSC_6MSC2 |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | Anderstorp Raceway#Race_1_AND_AND_ANDAND |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" | Anderstorp Raceway#Race_2_AND_AND_ANDAND |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" | Anderstorp Raceway#Race_3_AND_AND_ANDAND |
style="background:#FFFFBF;" | Ahvenisto Race Circuit#Race_1_AHV_AHV_AHVAHV |
style="background:#FFFFBF;" | Ahvenisto Race Circuit#Race_2_AHV_AHV_AHVAHV |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | Ahvenisto Race Circuit#Race_3_AHV_AHV_AHVAHV |
style="background:#DFDFDF;" | 2nd |
style="background:#DFDFDF;" | 270 |
Full F4 Spanish Championship standings
(key) (Entries in bold denote pole position) (Entries in italics denote fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Position | Points |
|---|
|-
| 2016
!nowrap| MP Motorsport
| style="background:#CFCFFF;" | NAV
1
| style="background:#CFCFFF;" | NAV
2
| style="background:#CFCFFF;" | NAV
3
| style="background:#CFCFFF;" | ALC
1
| style="background:#CFCFFF;" | ALC
2
| style="background:#CFCFFF;" | ALC
3
! NC†
! 0
|}
† – Competed in too few rounds to qualify for championship classification.
Full Formula Renault NEC results
(key) (Entries in bold represent pole position) (Entries in italics represent fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | MP Motorsport | MNZ 1 |
MNZ 2 |
ASS 1 4 |
ASS 2 3 |
NÜR 1 |
NÜR 2 |
SPA 1 11 |
SPA 2 10 |
SPA 3 6 |
HOC 1 7 |
HOC 2 4 |
10th | 68 | |
| 2018 | MP Motorsport | PAU 1 |
PAU 2 |
MNZ 1 |
MNZ 2 |
SPA 1 12 |
SPA 2 24 |
HUN 1 |
HUN 2 |
NÜR 1 |
NÜR 2 |
HOC 1 |
HOC 2 |
NC† | 0 |
† As a guest entrant, Opmeer was not eligible to score championship points.
Full Formula Renault Eurocup results
(legend) (Entries in bold signify pole position) (Entries in italics denote fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | MP Motorsport | MNZ 1 18 |
MNZ 2 21 |
SIL 1 Ret |
SIL 2 15 |
PAU 1 11 |
PAU 2 22 ... (remaining data omitted for brevity) ... |
15th | 27 |
Overview of Esports Career
| Season | Series | Team | Races Entered | Victories | Pole Positions | Fastest Laps | Podium Finishes | Total Points | Final Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Formula One Esports Series | Renault–Vitality | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 123 | 4th place |
| 2020 | Formula One Esports Series | Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen Esports Team | 12 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 196 | Champion |
| 2021 | Formula One Esports Series | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Team | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 195 | Champion |
| Formula E: Accelerate | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 49 | 5th place | |
| 2022 | Formula One Esports Series | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Team | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | getPodiums=3 | getPoints=122 | getPosition=5th |
| getSeries=Formula E: Accelerate | getTeam=Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | getRaces=2 | getWins=0 | getPoles=0 | getFastestLaps=0 | getPodiums=2 | getPoints=33 | 'Second' | |
| 2023–24 | getSeries=2023–24 Formula One Sim Racing World Championship | getTeam=Mercedes-Benz in Formula One#Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Team | getRaces=12 | getWins=1 | getPoles=0 | getFastestLaps=3 | getPodiums=4 | getPoints=122 | getPosition=4th |
Complete Results: Formula One Esports Series
((legend)) (Entries in bold represent pole position) (Entries in italics represent fastest lap)
2019 Formula One Esports Series#20192020 Formula One Esports Series#20202021 Formula One Esports Series#20212022 Formula One Esports Series#20222023–24 Formula One Sim Racing World Championship#2023–242025 Formula One Sim Racing World Championship#2025| Year | Team | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 4 | Race 5 | Race 6 | Race 7 | Race 8 | Race 9 | Race 10 | Race 11 | Race 12 | Final Position | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renault in Formula One#Renault–Team Vitality#Team Vitality |
style="background:#DFDFDF;" | BHR |
4th place | 123 points | ||||||||||||
| Alfa Romeo in Formula One#Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen Esports Team |
style="background:#FFFFBF;" | BHR |
Champion | important !196 points | ||||||||||||
| important nowrap !Mercedes-Benz in Formula One#Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Team |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | BHR |
Champion | important !195 points | ||||||||||||
| important nowrap !Mercedes-Benz in Formula One#Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Team |
style="background:#DFDFDF; " | BHR style= " background: #FFFFBF; " |"USA" |
5th place | 122 points | ||||||||||||
| nowrap
Mercedes-Benz in Formula One#Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Team |
style= " background: #DFDFDF; " |"BHR" |
4th place | 122 points | ||||||||||||
| Red Bull Racing#Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing |
style= " background: #DFFFDF; "'AUS' |
Champion | 154 points |
Complete Formula E: Accelerate Results
(legend) (Entries in bold denote pole position) (Entries in italics represent fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | NYC 6 |
HKG 14 |
BER 14 |
DIR 10 |
LES 5 |
RME‡ 3 |
5th | 49 |
| 2022 | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | LDN 3 |
LDN 2 |
2nd | 33 | ||||