The 3^rd official F1 esports Virtual Grand Prix will take place this Sunday, with six Formula 1 drivers confirmed.

The third instalment of the official F1 esports Virtual Grand Prix series gets underway this Sunday, as six current Formula 1 drivers line up alongside celebrities and other big names in the sport.

Via the official Formula 1 2019 video game, drivers will join the race taking place at the Shanghai International Circuit remotely from the comfort of their own game station. The event itself has been set up to give drivers time for qualification runs on the circuit, in which the formation of the grid will be decided by each driver’s individual qualification timing, followed by the race itself.

THE F1 DRIVERS

Charles Leclerc – With Ferrari F1 boss, Mattia Binotto, praising his driver’s victory in the last event, Charles Leclerc returns to the Virtual Grand Prix series full of confidence. Looking to cement his place as the leader of F1 drivers taking part in the virtual race, Leclerc will be eager to produce another fine display of driving.

Alex Albon – After landing an impressive fifth place qualification lap in the Australian Virtual Grand Prix, Albon found himself dropping down to 15^th after a terrible spin on the first lap. The Thai-British racing driver kept his head down throughout the race, making up time and crossing the finishing line in eighth place. Having impressed his viewers with a mid-week win in a charity stream with other F1 drivers, Albon will be looking to secure a podium and improve his Virtual Grand Prix record this Sunday.

George Russell – Russell impressed fans by qualifying second in his first Virtual Grand Prix two weeks ago. The British driver, unfortunately, made a mistake on lap five at Turn One, and fell back to fourth. Fighting tooth and nail against Charles Leclerc’s younger brother Arthur, Russell managed to secure a third-place podium finish in his first-ever Virtual Grand Prix.

Lando Norris – Last time out, the McLaren driver encountered a few technical problems and was forced to retire early from the Australian Virtual Grand Prix. With an army of fans and followers knowing exactly how fast Norris is in the online world, the British driver will be raring to go, and hopefully ensuring that his gaming cables are firmly connected this time around.

Antonio Giovinazzi – A surprising late addition to the Australian Virtual Grand Prix, the Italian driver immediately demonstrated a feel for the esport, sealing an eight-place qualification for the race. With Giovinazzi’s confidence growing with every lap, the Alfa Romeo F1 driver impressed fans with a series of beautiful overtakes, securing a fifth-place race finish. After spending more and more time on the virtual grids of the Formula 1 2019 video game throughout the week, Giovinazzi will be eager to transition his training into results.

Nicholas Latifi – Finishing qualification for the Australian Virtual Grand Prix in seventh-place, just behind F1 rival Alex Albon, Nicholas Latifi found himself losing places and time throughout the event due to a few unlucky slips, and crashes in front of him. The Canadian driver is still waiting for his first race in an actual F1 car and will be keen to keep racing with his competitors in the esport setting, and possible nicking a few places off each of them. 

WHO ELSE IS RACING?

The six F1 drivers will be joined by a number of celebrities and big names to fill out the grid, including Real Madrid and Belgium international goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The footballer has quickly made a name for himself in the esport, frequently joining F1 drivers on their racing streams and impressing. Courtois will be taking a seat in one of the Red Bulls.

HOW TO WATCH THE CHINESE VIRTUAL GRAND PRIX

The Chinese Virtual Grand Prix will be available this Sunday 19^th, broadcasted live from the Gfinity Esports Arena from 19:00 CEST. Streams to tune into the action will be available on all Formula 1 channels including, F1.com, Formula 1 YouTube, F1 Twitch and Formula 1 Facebook.

The event itself is expected to run for around one hour and a half, with spectators able to enjoy live commentary throughout qualifying, as well as the 28-lap race around the virtual Shanghai International Circuit.

Drivers will be joining the action from their remote setups all around the world and will be racing with game settings configured to ensure that participants will have equal performance on their virtual cars.

The race will also be available to be viewed through live broadcast with international broadcast partners including Sky Sports F1.

F1 ESPORTS CHINESE VIRTUAL GP BETTING

Tune in to EnergyBetWorld to find out more information about the Virtual Grand Prix series hosted by F1, and the exciting online world of esports. The latest odds of the Chinese Virtual Grand Prix can be found on EnergyBet here. 

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