Formula 1 replaces postponed Grand Prix season with video game series

Formula 1 has announced a new F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix series as a virtual replacement for F1 Grand Prix races postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Going forward, all scheduled Grand Prix races will take place within the PC version of F1 2019, the official video game of the F1 Grand Prix, and will be streamed via YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. The first of these virtual races took place yesterday to replace the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The races will include a number of current F1 drivers and, to account for the “wide variety of gaming skill levels”, “game settings will be configured in such a way to encourage competitive and entertaining racing”. This will include things like reducing vehicle damage and adding traction control (which didn’t help me at all). They’re also adding in a few sporting professionals from other fields to replace the F1 drivers that can’t, or won’t, participate.

On non-race weekends, fans will be able to compete against some of the actual F1 drivers in online exhibition races. There will be more details on how this will work in the coming weeks.

The Virtual Grand Prix is scheduled to run until May, but will be extended if we’re still in the coronapocalypse at that point.

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