The 'F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix series' championship will start on Sunday 22 with the video game dispute of the Bahrain GP, postponed by the coronavirus.
Formula One will hold a virtual competition using the official video game of the competition, which will take place on the days when the Grand Prix were scheduled to be suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The championship, called 'F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix series', will begin on Sunday 22 with the dispute through the video game of the Bahrain Grand Prix, scheduled for this weekend until the expansion of the Covid-19 forced its postponement.
According to the organization of the Formula One World Cup, the competition will last until May, when races are scheduled to resume, and current drivers of the competition and "stars to be announced soon" will participate.
All of them will compete from their homes. The broadcast can be followed on the official channels of Formula One on the YouTube, Twitch and Facebook platforms, lasting one hour and a half, which will include a qualifying phase and the race.
This competition is organized "strictly for entertainment reasons" so that "it will not give official Championship points" to the drivers, clarified the organization of the single-seater championship.
Although the riders who will participate have not yet been known, it would not be strange if the Dutch Max Verstappen (Red Bull) or the English Lando Norris (McLaren), renowned fans of virtual races, or the Spanish Carlos Sainz (McLaren), did so. who has already announced his participation in a virtual championship this Friday.
The crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic has caused the suspension of the Australian Grand Prix, the first of the season that had to be held last week and the cancellation of the Monaco, while those of Bahrain, Vietnam, China, the Netherlands and Spain have been deferred. The regulatory changes for the World Cup, scheduled for 2021, have also been delayed one year, to 2022.
