Lewis Hamilton may have stormed to pole position for the inaugural race of the 2017 Formula 1 season, but it was Sebastian Vettel of Scuderia Ferrari that took the victory by a commanding lead — disturbing the otherwise impenetrable driving force of the Brackley-based Mercedes team.

Forza Horizon 3 has been a marvel for both the Xbox and Forza brands since releasing last year. The open world racer raked in a number of awards after its initial reveal at E3, and has gone on to receive not only the title of “Best Sports/Racing Game” of 2016 and the D.I.C.E “Racing Game of the Year”, but has also breached the Top 10 best-selling games in the UK — quite the number of accolades for the franchise.

Lewis Hamilton stormed to a record-equaling sixth pole position at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit as he confirmed the Mercedes team is still well and truly on the pace this year.

Another weekend, another Forzathon, another vehicle for players to obtain, as Forza Horizon 3 has received the latest batch of Forzathon events. The challenges this time are themed around Japanese cars and features the appropriate name of “Spring Festival.”

Here we stand on the inaugural weekend of the 2017 Formula One season, and with so much having changed over the previous year, things are looking interesting to say the least. Nico Rosberg has exited the sport as the undefeated Driver’s Champion, and in his seat sits former Williams driver Valtteri Bottas.

Slightly Mad Studios has continued the teasing for its upcoming simulator, with the shot above featuring the heroic Jaguar XJR-9. While recently we learned the Circuit of the Americas will debut in Project CARS 2, this time the focus is on a famous Le Mans car.

This year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo is set to be a big one for the racing genre. Electronic Arts is the first major third-party to tip its hand, lining up a pre-E3 event that will include a raft of upcoming titles, including the latest installment in the Need For Speed series.

Console players used to the current online portion of Assetto Corsa will be delighted to hear that private lobbies are finally on their way to improve the gaming experience. The news comes on the back of the recent update to the PC version, which brought three new cars and other updates yesterday.

Polyphony has pulled the trigger on the latest Seasonal Events for Gran Turismo 6. This week’s events are a combination of time trial and drifting challenges, testing your mettle at a variety of racing venues. Whether it be tuned or purpose-built racing machines, this week’s events have a little bit of something for everyone.

First confirmed just under a year ago in a developer diary discussing the future plans of Assetto Corsa, the Mazda 787B and first-generation MX-5 Miata have finally made their way to the racing sim as free bonus content.

Earlier this month, Forza Horizon 3 saw its sixth car pack arrive, bringing an end to packs covered by the Car Pass. Within the Duracell Car Pack were two cars last seen in the Xbox 360 era: the BMW 507 and Volvo 242 Turbo Evolution.

A true SEGA arcade classic is now available to play on Xbox One, as Daytona USA joins the console’s backwards compatibility list. The re-release that was initially launched on the Xbox 360 back in 2011 joins the ever growing list of last generation titles to be playable on the latest Microsoft console.

Good news for Assetto Corsa players. Kunos Simulazioni has announced that two of the most iconic cars to wear the Mazda badge are coming to the game for free, while a previously-announced Porsche is inbound as well.

Another day, another new addition to Project CARS 2. Developer Slightly Mad Studios has been gifting us with reveals of new content coming to its upcoming sequel for the past few months. This one is sure to please many.

UPDATE: The European GT Sport closed beta sign-ups are back: enter your account here.

Italian video game developer Milestone has recently sent out fresh pre-alpha footage of its latest off-road title Gravel, offering a first look at the game’s environment and the pace of driving.

On the road to DiRT 4′s June release, the official Codemasters blog has had a weekly review of the various features and gameplay elements players can expect when the game is in their hands. First we had a look at the innovative “Your Stage” track creator and then the “Landrush” gameplay mode. This time around, a core element of the title’s career mode has been tackled, as we get a look at the in-depth team management we’ll be able to tackle in the rally racer.

Following a much debated 24 Hours of Daytona, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Challenge headed to crowd favorite Sebring this weekend, for the 65th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by “Fresh from Florida” at Sebring International Raceway.

The 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship continues down in Florida after a controversial Daytona 24H. This time, the contenders have made their way to the iconic Sebring International Raceway, qualified for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida, and will be preparing for the main race this Saturday.

With so many racing games beckoning for our attention in 2017, it’s very easy to lose sight of the fact that there are some hidden gems outside the scope of the usual Assetto Corsa, Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo games of the racing genre.