Berlin (AP) - Charles Leclerc has also proven his class in virtual Formula 1.
The 22-year-old Ferrari driver from Monaco won the second race of the new VR series on Sunday, which the motorsport premier class launched for fans after the cancellation of a large number of Grand Prix events due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Leclerc started from second place on the virtual Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne and ultimately prevailed with a ten-second lead over the Danish Formula 2 driver Christian Lundgaard, who had secured pole position in front of Leclerc in qualifying. "Easy? No, it was incredibly tough," said Leclerc, who was switched into a studio over the phone after his win. "I'm sweating like crazy," said the Ferrari driver, who took part in a race in the new virtual series for the first time.
Briton George Russel from Formula 1 team Williams finished third ahead of Leclerc's younger brother Arthur (19). Former Formula 1 driver Jenson Button, world champion of 2009 in the then BrawnGP, came eleventh. A German driver was not at the start after ex-pilot Nico Hülkenberg tried two weeks ago.
The races of the virtual series should always take place on Sundays on which the actual driving would have been. The premiere in Hanoi would normally have taken place on Sunday, but the Grand Prix in Vietnam had to be canceled or postponed, like eight races in total. Since the virtual series runs with the e-sports program of the 2019 racing series, the virtual race was held on the Melbourne circuit.
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