Formula One is setting up a series of virtual races to replace postponed or canceled Grand Prix events.
The series said that a “number of current F1 drivers” would take part in the races, with the first set for today, when the Bahrain Grand Prix was supposed to take place.
None of the drivers taking part had been named.
Photo: Reuters
The virtual races are to run in place of every postponed Grand Prix, starting with the Virtual Bahrain Grand Prix today, organizers said on the Formula One’s Web site.
The first race has current F1 drivers on the starting grid alongside a host of stars, with each driver to join races remotely and broadcast live on the Gfinity Esports Arena from 8pm GMT, the organizers said.
The series is to use the Formula One 2019 PC game developed by Codemasters, with a 28-lap race on the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir today.
The broadcast is to be available on Formula One’s YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels, as well as F1.com.
“The series is strictly for entertainment purposes, to bring racing action to fans in this unprecedented [pandemic] scenario the world has been affected by, with no official World Championship points up for grabs for the drivers,” the organizers said.
In the US, at least 35 NASCAR drivers are to compete in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series today.
The event drew so many professional drivers that it is to be aired on Fox Sports 1.
The main commentary booth of Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon, along with analyst Larry McReynolds, is to call the event.
The 90-minute, simulation-style e-sports program includes a cross-section of competitors who are to race virtually at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The drivers are headlined by Dale Earnhardt Jr, Hall of Famer Bobby Labonte, two-time and defending Cup champion Kyle Busch and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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