Esports: Who is taking part in F1’s Virtual British Grand Prix?
Williams Formula 1 duo George Russell and Nicholas Latifi once again act as the headline names taking part in tonight’s Virtual British Grand Prix, which gets underway at 6pm.
Russell had been scheduled to compete in the opening Virtual Austrian GP event last weekend but had to pull out at the last minute, though the Briton is back to contest the series he has already claimed four wins in for the Silverstone race, partnering his real-life Williams stablemate Latifi.
Red Bull reserve Alex Albon also returns alongside his 2021 DTM teammate and junior team member Liam Lawson, while Enzo Fittipaldi will be looking to make it back-to-back wins after triumphing last out at the Red Bull Ring. He once again forms an all-Brazilian line-up with his older brother Pietro at Haas.
Representing Ferrari’s Driver Academy this weekend will be 2020 Formula 2 runner-up Callum Ilott and 2019 Formula 3 champion Robert Shwartzman, while it’s an all-Italian driver line-up for AlphaTauri with ex-F1 racer Vitantonio Liuzzi once again partnered by motorcycle racer Luca Salvadori.
As usual, celebrity guests will also make up the grid, including Real Madrid and Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and content creator Jack ‘Pie Face’ McDermott, both of whom will race on behalf of Alfa Romeo. A full confirmed driver line-up can be found below.
In a change to the format for this year’s Virtual Grand Prix series, the Feature Race grid will be determined by a five-lap Sprint Race featuring the team’s F1 Esports Pro Series drivers. The teams are battling it out for a share of a $100,000 charity prize pot which they will donate to a cause of their choosing.
All the races will be streamed via the official Formula 1 YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch channels, as well as Sky Sports in the United Kingdom.
The races take place across three consecutive weekends, with the first event at the Red Bull Ring followed up with rounds at Silverstone and Interlagos.
Full Virtual Austrian British Grand Prix Feature Race line-up:
Red Bull: Alex Albon and Liam Lawson
McLaren: Jimmy Broadbent Ben 'Tiametmarduk' Daly
Alpine: ‘Squeezie’ and Theamusante
Ferrari: Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman
AlphaTauri: Vitantonio Liuzzi and Luca Salvadori
Alfa Romeo: Thibaut Courtois and Jack ‘Pie Face’ McDermott
Haas: Pietro and Enzo Fittipaldi
Williams: George Russell and Nicholas Latifi
Full Virtual British Grand Prix Sprint Race line-up:
Red Bull: Frede Rasmussen and Marcel Kiefer
McLaren: James Baldwin and Josh Idowu
Alpine: Nicolas Longuet and Fabrizio Donoso
Ferrari: David Tonizza and Brendon Leigh
AlphaTauri: Joni Tormala and Manuel Biancolilla
Alfa Romeo: Dani Bereznay and Thijmen Schutte
Haas: Cedric Thome and Samuel Libeert
Williams: Alvaro Carreton and Alessio di Capua
