LONDON: Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc has confirmed that they will be on the grid for the second installment of the F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix series this weekend.
He will be joined by Alex Albon, George Russell, Lando Norris and Nicholas Latifi.
The Virtual Grand Prix is the second race in the new F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix series, designed to give fans the chance to watch some F1 racing action, despite the ongoing coronavirus situation.
The F1 quintet will be joined by former driver Johnny Herbert, who finished 13th in the inaugural race in Bahrain, as well as a host of stars including England’s Cricket World Cup Winner, BBC Sports Personality of the Year and Red Bull athlete Ben Stokes, with more names are set to be announced in the coming days.
And it will be something of a family affair for Charles Leclerc, as his younger brother Arthur – a member of the Ferrari Driver Acadamy – will be racing alongside him for the FDA Hublot Esport Team.
The Grand Prix will take place on the Albert Park track, home of the Australian Grand Prix, on the weekend originally scheduled for Hanoi’s inaugural street circuit race in Vietnam.
The Vietnam circuit is currently not available on the official F1 2019 video game so the drivers will instead show off their skills on the Melbourne track. Drivers will join the race remotely, with a host broadcast live from the Gfinity Esports Arena from 8:00pm UK time on Sunday.
The broadcast, which will be available on F1.com, and the official Formula 1 YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels, is expected to run for 1 hour 30 minutes.
The qualifying period where grid positions will be determined based on the drivers’ fastest lap time, followed by a 28-lap race.
The Virtual Grand Prix will also be broadcast live with international broadcast partners including in the UK on Sky Sports F1, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Mix (Sky channel 145).
