Six Formula 1 drivers are on the entry list for a new Esports series intended to raise money to help fight the Coronavirus.
Charles Leclerc has organised the event with a group of other drivers. His F1 rivals Lando Norris, Alexander Albon, George Russell, Antonio Giovinazzi and Nicholas Latifi have also joined Race for the World, a three-round virtual championship which will begin this weekend.The double-header events will be held on Saturday 11th April, Tuesday 14th April and Friday 17th April. The organisers say all donations from the event will go to the World Health Organization’s Covid-19 Solidarity Relief Fund.
A target of $100,000 has been set on the championship’s donation page.
“The initiative is a response to the current global pandemic lockdown and gives the drivers another opportunity to race online, to entertain fans across the world, and to raise some money for the WHO fund that has been established to help fight coronavirus across the world,” say the promoters.
The series will run on F1 2019. Saturday’s two 25% distance races will begin at 6pm BST (1pm EDT). The circuit to be used for each round will be selected at random 15 minutes before the start.
The drivers said in a statement they “are keen to point out that none of their ‘Race for the World’ events will clash with the official F1 Virtual Grand Prix series which is already proving hugely popular.” However with the entire event expected to last around two hours, it is set to clash with the third round of IndyCar’s official iRacing series, which starts at 7:30pm BST.
Race for the World entry list
| Driver | Series |
|---|---|
| Charles Leclerc | Formula 1 |
| Alexander Albon | Formula 1 |
| Lando Norris | Formula 1 |
| George Russell | Formula 1 |
| Antonio Giovinazzi | Formula 1 |
| Nicholas Latifi | Formula 1 |
| Antonio Felix da Costa | Formula E |
| Giuliano Alesi | Formula 2 |
| Louis Deletraz | Formula 2 |
| Sean Gelael | Formula 2 |
| Antonio Fuoco | Formula 2 |
| Callum Ilott | Formula 2 |
| Christian Lundgaard | Formula 2 |
| Pietro Fittipaldi | Asian F3 |
| Arthur Leclerc | Formula Regional Europe |
| Nick Cassidy | Super Formula |
| Luca Salvadori | Motorbike racing |
| Luca Albon | Albon’s younger brother |
| Thibaut Courtois | Football |
RaceFans Esports Hub
- 2020 Motorsport Esports calendar – Details of upcoming F1, IndyCar, NASCAR and more Esports races, and links to where you can watch them
- 2020 Motorsport Esports results – Winners of major Esports races this year
- Watch racing drivers’ live Esports video channels – Watch Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and more live
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Jere (@jerejj)
10th April 2020, 20:49
Is Luca Albon this English-footballer: https://int.soccerway.com/players/luca-albon/591460/
or a racing-driver related to Alex Albon or someone in general who might be related to Alex Albon?
f1alex (@f1alex)
10th April 2020, 21:16
Alex’s brother, not sure if he does any motorsport but was in a few of the F1 streams last week and looks pretty quick on the F1 game at least.
Anthony
10th April 2020, 21:17
It says
in the table.
Duncan Idaho (@didaho)
11th April 2020, 3:33
Begs questions – Is soccer Luca an only child?..
Jere (@jerejj)
11th April 2020, 15:08
@Anthony Only added subsequently. At the time of posting yesterday-evening, only the names were mentioned above, nothing else.
J Tyler
10th April 2020, 22:59
They should first look at how badly WHO handled the situation.
Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
15th April 2020, 4:17
Go on, you do better.
ColdFly (@)
11th April 2020, 9:01
I watched them yesterday do some practice circuits.
I loved it, not because of the great racing, but because of the chats between the drivers.
Also good to see how they attack certain corners and try out faster (Egame) lines.
Even more so than real life racing I wonder why people watch oval racing in Egames. The one part that I thought attracts spectators – risk of spectacular accidents – is gone.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
11th April 2020, 11:11
I am really happy that this has been organised. Motorsport can be a powerful force for good. Best wishes to everyone involved!
Dane
11th April 2020, 18:44
At least the WHO can get paid from motor sports charities if the US government stops funding them. Future funding is in question pending an investigation into their mismanagement and alleged lying in the early days the pandemic.