F1 Esports Bahrain Virtual Grand Prix

It's difficult for race fans knowing that most of the races are suspended until further notice due to the ever-evolving COVID-19 situation the world's facing but in the spirit of technology, esports became a major player in the motorsport industry as they are venturing to use the esports trend to replace postponed real races for that matter. That's why Formula 1 pulled the wraps with their first of the F1 Esports Virtual Races to bring some heat to racing fans in a race weekend full of virtual races.

Screengrab from Formula 1

The first offering, the Bahrain Virtual Grand Prix, pits the best F1 drivers against pro gamers and a few celebrity personalities in store in a 14-lap online race using the F1 2019 video game from Codemasters. With the virtual Sakhir venue set, the Bahrain Virtual Grand Prix is a smash hit, literally, from start to finish.

After a chaotic 14-lap online battle at the virtual Sakhir, Guanyu Zhou, who piloted a Renault F1 car in-game, emerged as the winner of the F1 Esports Bahrain Virtual Grand Prix, followed by Stoffel Vandoorne, who drive for Mercedes in-game, and Philipp Eng, who drives for Red Bull in the video game of course.

A star-studded lineup of F1 drivers, pro gamers, and celebrities clashing online in the middle of the virtual Sakhir while sitting at their homes is what made the F1 Esports Bahrain Virtual Grand Prix very special in the midst of this dire situation the world's facing. Let's hope we can see more Virtual Grand Prix races until the situation outside is clear and return to real-world racing again.