Zhou Guanyu, the Renault F1 team's first ever Chinese development driver, worked as a commentator at Sunday's final.

"I play this game in my spare time, and keep up-to-date with e-sports. Many of the racers are pretty good," said Zhou, adding that real-life Formula One racers also use simulators to familiarize themselves with different circuits.

"This China Championship gives people another way to enjoy Formula One, and it will definitely draw more attention next year."

This year's championship was launched in August in conjunction with Shanghai Juss Sports Development (Group) Co Ltd, and attracted 100,000 participants and 6 million online spectators.