Dutch esports driver Jarno Opmeer has threatened to quit after five brake failures in just a month and a half.

During Round 3 of PSGL (Premier Sim Gaming Leagues) on July 6, the former racing driver’s Fanatec CSL Elite V2 LC pedals fell apart in the middle of his qualifying run.

To those unaware, Fanatec CSL Elite V2 LC pedals are the compulsory gear for F1 Esports players since 2018. This unexpected event led to Opmeer’s contemplation of retirement from the F1 Esports Series.

According to an Esportsearnings report, Opmeer has gained $222k in the F1 Esports Series over the past four years. This pinnacle tournament of the F1 franchise is set to open up later this year.

However, it is unclear whether Opmeer will be on the starting grid. “Uh, I’ve bent my entire brake pedal… Five broken pedals in like one and a half months. This is a joke,” Opmeer vented while streaming the entire event.

It is worth noting that the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS driver is forced to use the equipment due to Fanatec’s official F1 Esports sponsorship being palpable.

Jarno Opmeer could be racing toward the exit

“How can you drive F1 Esports with this?… You cannot run an F1 Esports World Championship on brake pedals that can’t even f***ing handle half of a normal braking force.” he questioned.

Expressing his discontentment, Opmeer confessed, “This kind of stuff makes me want to stop with F1 Esports because it’s so unfair… You cannot run a championship with this bulls***.”

Expressing his frustrations on Twitter, Opmeer stated, “If I say what I think I will be banned.” A Reddit user mirrored Opmeer’s concerns, asking, “Why don’t they have the highest level equipment in terms of input devices in F1 Esports?”

Context: brake pedal snapped in half. https://t.co/Bb2Ry0AVMW pic.twitter.com/tIfSQ3f39a

— Jarno Opmeer (@jarno_opmeer) July 5, 2023

Another user questioned Fanatec’s build quality, saying, “These pedals are specifically being used for pro sim racing at the highest level so why are they not built better?”

With the upcoming 2023 F1 Esports season around the corner, this incident has raised questions about the quality and reliability of the equipment. Fanatec hasn’t released a statement yet.

Watch this space for the latest updates on esports.