Motorsport, and the wider sporting world, remains shut down during the Coronavirus pandemic and it’s unlikely we’ll see anything in the way of action until July, with plans to race in Austria pressing ahead.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun and motorsport in particular is turning to the virtual world to entertain its millions of fans.
F1 has already hosted virtual Bahrain and Vietnam Grands Prix and now we head north-east to Shanghai for the Virtual Chinese GP.
When and where?
The event will take place on Sunday 19th at 18:00 GMT (13:00 EDT) and will be live-streamed from the Gfinity Esports Arena across several platforms, including F1’s official YouTube, Facebook and Twitch channels. Sky Sports F1 will also be broadcasting the event live (Sky channel 406, Virgin channel 506) as well as some of F1’s other international broadcasters.
The event will consist of a qualifying session and a 28-lap (50% distance) race at the Shanghai International Circuit on the official Codemasters Formula 1 game, which is the software that will be used for the race due to licensing agreements.
The game settings will be fixed to ensure equal car performance, reduced vehicle damage, as well as optional anti-lock brakes and traction control.
Who’s racing?
Like Vietnam, a host of F1 drivers have signed up to take part including Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Red Bull’s Alexander Albon, McLaren’s Lando Norris, Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi and Williams duo George Russell and Nicholas Latifi.
Norris will be joined by McLaren team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr for the first time as he makes his virtual debut this weekend.
Juan Manuel Correa will partner Giovinazzi and Real Madrid and Belgium international goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been announced as Albon’s team-mate.
| Team | Driver 1 | Driver 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Mercedes | Stoffel Vandoorne | Esteban Gutierrez |
| Ferrari | Charles Leclerc | Callum Ilott |
| Red Bull | Alexander Albon | Thibaut Courtois |
| McLaren | Lando Norris | Carlos Sainz |
| Renault | Guanyu Zhou | Ian Poulter |
| AlphaTauri* | Liam Lawson | Cirro Immobile |
| Racing Point | Anthony Davidson | Jimmy Broadbent |
| Alfa Romeo | Antonio Giovinazzi | Juan Manuel Correa |
| Haas | Louis Deletraz | Pietro Fittipaldi |
| Williams | George Russell | Nicholas Latifi |
*AlphaTauri will race as Toro Rosso
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