6 days Ago
The GAMERGY gaming festival became the stage for an important event in the esports and sim racing calendar—the Heineken Player 0.0 Global Final . 18 sim racers vied for the top spot on the podium in Madrid and among these was Jernej Dovžan, an 18-year-old Slovakian racer, who emerged victorious, claiming the title of Player 0.
0 Global Champion. The event, part of the larger GAMERGY festival held from December 13-15 at IFEMA Madrid, brought together the worlds of gaming and motorsport. At the core of the event was the Heineken Player 0.
0 initiative—a campaign that not only celebrates competitive sim racing but also advocates for responsible drinking. The slogan, "The Best Driver is the One Who Is Not Drinking," echoed throughout the venue, reinforcing Heineken's "When You Drive, Never Drink" mission. In attendance was four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen, who is an ambassador for Heineken 0.
0. The Dutch driver commented on the event : "It's incredible to see the passion and dedication of these racers. Player 0.
0 continues to showcase the importance of skill, focus, and making the right choices—not just in racing, but in life." This year's event saw participation from 23 finalists hailing from all different parts of the world, brought together through a series of regional and online competitions. The broader mission of Heineken through the Player 0.
0 initiative promotes a message of responsibility, aligning with global campaigns launched since 2021. Natacha Volpini, the Global Head of Digital Consumer Innovation, stated: "This year's Player 0.0 Final reflects our dedication to blending innovation, responsibility, and entertainment.
Through initiatives like this, we're reaching new audiences and inspiring responsible choices worldwide." Heineken has plans to expand the Player 0.0 initiative in 2025 and is expected to introduce the initiative to more countries and may even involve new formats or other fan experiences.
Verstappen has long been an avid sim racer and competes with Team Redline. However, this has come under fire on a few occasions for clashes with Formula One race weekends when the driver will compete in both. Speaking to the media about sim racing, Verstappen explained : "I raced until 3 AM, it's not something new for me.
It's something very important in my life. "Now there are no other sim races coming up anyway, so no one needs to worry about that. But when you don't win the race, you will always blame it on how you were staying up until 3 AM or your always one kilo overweight.
There are always things to make up that you know you can argue about when you not win a race but for example in Imola I did win the race both of them, so for me this is not something new. "I've been doing this since 2015, so for me this is not something that is any different in my preparation. I mean I've won three world championships, so I know pretty well what I can and can not do.
I'm always very hard on myself what is allowed and what isn't allowed so with all the experience I have I know what is possible. "We talked about it. I said you don't need to worry about it because there's no other race coming up.
But I don't have a ban. I also don't need to tell them you what they do in their private time and during the weekends and it is the same for me.".
