Cem Bölükbaşı

In late 2017, he was selected to join G2 Esports FA Racing, in which he would compete in various simracing competitions throughout 2018.[4] During the 2020 lockdowns, Bölükbaşı competed in several virtual races,[5] including winning the inaugural championship of the Formula Renault Esport Series.[6][7]

Bölükbaşı raced for McLaren in the 2017 Formula One eSports Series, which he finished 5th in the standings with 35 points and a race win under his name. In the 2018 Formula One eSports Series, he switched to Toro Rosso and participated in 4 out of the 10 races, finishing 12th with 32 points. In the 2019 Formula One eSports Series, he participated in 9 out of the 12 races, finishing 21st with 4 points.

In May 2019, Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport announced that Bölükbaşı would race in the 2019 GT4 European Series.[8] He was able to get a second-place finish in the Misano round and finished the championship in 17th overall. Bölükbaşı continued to race in the series full-time in 2020.[9] He got 3 pole positions and 3 race wins and finished the season overall 2nd.[10]

Bölükbaşı made his Formula debut in the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup with M2 Competition.[11] As a guest driver he raced only in the Hockenheim round, finishing 16th in race 1 and retiring from the second race.[12]

In January 2021, BlackArts Racing announced that Bölükbaşı would drive for the team in the 2021 F3 Asian Championship.[13][14][15][16] He scored points in 13 of the 15 races and with a best race result of 5th, finished 9th in the overall standings.[17]

He also raced in the rebranded 2022 season, this time with Evans GP.[18] Bölükbaşı retired from all three races in round 1, with the crash in race 3 causing major damage to the rear of his car.[19][20] The damage could not be repaired until the second round the week after, causing him to miss all three races.[20] In early February, just before round 3, Bölükbaşı announced that he would not continue racing in the series, as his chances of getting FIA Super Licence points were slim.[21]

Bölükbaşı driving the Euroformula Open car in 2021

In July 2021, it was announced that Bölükbaşı would join the 2021 Euroformula Open Championship with Van Amersfoort Racing.[22] He made his debut in round 4 in the Hungaroring and won the opening race, becoming the first esports driver to win a race on formula series.[23] During the second race of round 5, he collided with teammate Rafael Villagómez, causing both of them to retire.[24] In round 6, he ended up on the podium after race 2, finishing behind Nazim Azman.[25] In round 7 held in Monza, Bölükbaşı managed to get on the podium in all three races, finishing 3rd and 2nd twice.[26] For race 1 of the 8th round, Bölükbaşı qualified on pole and won the race.[27] In race 2 and race 3, he finished 4th.[28][29] He finished 5th in the overall standings.[29]

On 14 October 2021, Bölükbaşı tested Formula Two machinery for the first time at the Brno Circuit, driving a Dallara GP2/11 which was used in the GP2 Series from 2011 to 2016 and in the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2017.[30] He drove a Formula 2 car for the first time in an official session during the 2021 post-season test with Van Amersfoort Racing on 18 December 2021, finishing 22nd and last.[31] On 12 January 2022, it was officially announced that he would compete in the 2022 Formula 2 Championship as a Charouz Racing System driver.[32][33]

For round 1 in Bahrain, Bölükbaşı qualified 20th in his first Formula 2 qualifying session.[34] During the sprint race, he gained two positions at the start. He later overtook two more cars and finished in 14th, also ahead of Marcus Armstrong and Theo Pourchaire, both of whom retired from the race.[35] In the feature race, Bölükbaşı gained one position at the start and was in 19th place. He pit early on lap 9 and set the fastest lap multiple times. He was running as high as 12th at one point with the undercut, but he was passed by drivers on fresher tyres. Following a late-race crash, Bölükbaşı made a pitstop under the safety car, and two other drivers having issues in the pitlane helped him to get back up into 12th. On the restart however, Bölükbaşı spun and ended the race in 15th position.[36]

During the practice session of round 2 in Jeddah, Bölükbaşı crashed into the barrier.[37] He was hospitalized for routine checks, which resulted in him missing qualifying.[38] It was later determined that he had suffered from a concussion, and was declared unfit to race. Charouz withdrew him from the event.[39] During the first day of the in-season Formula 2 test in Circuit de Barcelona, Bölükbaşı crashed into a concrete wall. He missed the rest of testing and flew back to Turkey,[40] where it was revealed that he had a broken rib.[41] He was replaced by David Beckmann for the next round in Imola.[42]

^† As Bölükbaşı was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
* Season still in progress.

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

* Season still in progress.