Five current F1 drivers will compete in the second Virtual Grand Prix
Talk about shifting gears
Proper Formula One races are off for the time being due to Covid-19 coronavirus public health concerns. A couple weeks back, F1 organised the first Virtual Grand Prix race in F1 2019, vowing to continue hosting esports races so long as the live ones were cancelled. The first race featured a few current F1 drivers behind the controller along with a smattering of other celebrities, drivers, and esports race folks. This weekend brings five current vroom vroom racing folks to the grid.
"This weekend’s Grand Prix will take place on the Albert Park track, traditionally used for the Australian Grand Prix, on the weekend originally scheduled for Hanoi’s inaugural Street Circuit race in Vietnam," say the F1 Esports Series. "The Vietnam circuit is currently not available on the 2019 official F1 video game so drivers will show off their skills on the Albert Park circuit."
Current—or would be current given the circumstances—F1 drivers Charles Leclerc, Alex Albon, George Russell, Lando Norris and Nicholas Latifi are all part of this weekend's lineup.
As with the first race, F1 say that the range of skill levels with virtual racing from competitors mean they'll be playing with some custom rules. Some of them are used to being on a proper track, aye? Special settings include "running equal car performance with fixed setups, reduced vehicle damage, and optional anti-lock brakes and traction control for those less familiar with the game."
F1 are livestreaming the event on YouTube and Twitch. It kicks off at 8:00pm (BST) on Sunday April 5 starting with grid position qualifiers followed by the 28-lap race.
In the meantime, you can check out the Bahrain race to see how Norris and Lafti fared in the first Virtual Grand Prix.