McLaren has become the first Formula 1 team to enter the growing esports industry with the launch of a new 'World's Fastest Gamer' competition.

The event spread over several months will pit the best virtual gamers against each other, with the winner becoming a full simulator driver for the British team, working alongside engineers in Woking and around the world in the development of the 2018 MCL33.

Experts from both the gaming world and F1 will choose six contenders internationally, with an additional four able to qualify for the final through events held online this summer.

The 10 finalists will then gather at the MTC in Autumn, where they will have to compete against each other in various games across different platforms and convince McLaren they have the technical knowledge to take on one of the most important jobs in modern F1.

“This is a hugely exciting opportunity – not only within the gaming industry but for everyone at McLaren and motorsport in general,” executive director Zak Brown said at the launch of the competition.

“We’ve long witnessed the growth of online sports gaming, and, right now, the parallels between the real and the virtual worlds have never been closer.

“This is absolutely the right time to be creating such a unique and exciting proposition; one that connects the worlds of racing and gaming in a way that’s never been explored before.

“I’m particularly proud that McLaren, alongside our partners Logitech, Sparco and GIVEMESPORT, has staked a claim as the very first sports and technology brand to venture into the diverse and fast-growing world of esports.”

Brown hoped the new competition would open up an opportunity for gamers everywhere, on every device to potentially earn what they have dubbed the "greatest job in esports".

“World’s Fastest Gamer really aims to democratise the process of finding the best virtual racer out there. The contest isn’t limited to one platform or one game; we’re very keen not to restrict access or entry for people, but rather welcome the worldwide gaming community, whether that’s on mobile or on high-end simulator platforms.

“The winner will genuinely be a key part of our team at McLaren,” he added. “This is for real: we absolutely require additional support across our two simulator platforms, so the competition and the selection process will be rigorous, ruthless and compelling to watch.”