The first Virtual GP in Bahrain a couple of weeks ago was an absolute riot (mainly thanks to Lando Norris’s phonecall session), but when it came to actual F1 talent, the grid was way behind what the likes of IndyCar managed to get for their first sim racing event.
The second F1 Virtual GP takes place this weekend and, thankfully, this time there will be a few more current drivers taking part. A freshly bald Lando Norris returns with Nicholas Latifi, but this time they’ll be joined by George Russell, Alex Albon, and Charles Leclerc. OK, so having all 20 F1 drivers is a bit of a stretch, but to have only a quarter of the grid as current F1 drivers still isn’t particularly spectacular. Still, it’s a vast improvement on the first event – especially as one of them is a current Ferrari driver and race winner.
And judging by his post on Instagram, it seems he’ll be teaming up with his brother Arthur.
F2 drivers Christian Lundgaard and Louis Deletraz are also taking part, as is Haas reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi. Corner-cutting mad lad Johnny Herbert will be back and so will Anthony Davidson – hopefully this time he’ll actually be able to race in the correct lobby.
It seems F1 hasn’t binned the idea of having celebrity racers yet, though – England cricketing hero, Sports Personality of the Year, and Red Bull athlete Ben Stokes will also be one of the names on the grid.
Can not wait for this 🏎 🏎 🏎 https://t.co/J6bEA802AS
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) April 2, 2020
The Vietnamese Virtual GP will logically take place on the Albert Park circuit as the Hanoi circuit isn’t in F1 2019, with technical issues hopefully staying away this time, allowing for a 28-lap race which, combined with qualifying, should make for an event lasting around an hour and a half.
As with the last event, the whole thing will be broadcast live on F1’s various social media channels from 19:00 UTC on Sunday 5 April.
