eSports
Virtual British Grand Prix line-up announced as Williams duo Russell and Latifi return
Williams Racing’s George Russell and Nicholas Latifi are the headline names taking part in this weekend’s Virtual British Grand Prix, the second of three special F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix events, as the teams compete to win a share of a $100,000 charity prize pot to donate to their nominated causes.
Alex Albon, Red Bull Racing Test and Reserve Driver and Wings for Life ambassador, secured a P4 finish in last weekend’s event, and will line up alongside Red Bull Junior team member Liam Lawson this Sunday. Enzo Fittipaldi took a dramatic win in the Virtual Austrian Grand Prix and will be hoping for more of the same when he returns for Haas, with his brother Pietro. Ferrari Driver Academy members Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman will represent Ferrari in Sunday’s race, whilst Vitantonio Liuzzi, a former star of the sport, will race for AlphaTauri, alongside professional motorcycle rider Luca Salvadori. Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and content creator Jack McDermott, aka The Pie Face, return for Alfa Romeo, hoping to get into the points this weekend, and France’s biggest YouTuber, Squeezie makes his Virtual Grand Prix debut for Alpine. The full line-up will be announced across the official F1 social media channels ahead of the event.
Teams are taking part in the Virtual Grands Prix to donate money to charities they have chosen to race for, and each nominated charity will receive a significant donation from the overall prize fund, regardless of whether the team finishes first or last in the standings after the three events.
This year’s Virtual Grand Prix events will begin with a sprint-race, featuring the teams’ talented F1 Esports Pro Series drivers, to decide the starting grid, before the teams’ pairings, made up of motorsport stars, sporting heroes and celebrities, will take to the track and compete. The final event will take place on Sunday 14 February, where drivers will compete on the iconic Interlagos circuit before attention turns to the start of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in Bahrain next month.
The Virtual British Grand Prix will be broadcast from 18:00 GMT on Sunday 7 February on the official Formula 1 YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, Huya (China) and Weibo (China) channels, as well as broadcast by international television partners including Sky Sports, ESPN, FOX Sports and Ziggo.
Julian Tan, Head of Digital Business Initiatives & Esports at Formula 1 said:
“It’s great to welcome George and Nicholas back to the grid this weekend, alongside a host of fantastic names from across the motorsport world. The drivers always enjoy driving around the iconic Silverstone circuit, even virtually, so we are really looking forward to Sunday’s race. The first event was a lot of fun, and it is terrific to see our drivers do good for charity whilst entertaining fans around the world as we await the start of the 2021 season.”
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