The Formula 1 season, like most major international sports, is currently on hold. And like a growing number of international sports, athletes have found one of the best ways to keep busy is to challenge others online in the video game version of what they normally do for a living.
The races are going to be held on the same days as actual races were supposed to go down. To pad out the field, since not every F1 driver will be taking part, a bunch of former drivers, esports drivers and random folks like “Music artist Liam Payne, professional golfer Ian Poulter and six-time Olympic Gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy” are being roped in to drive empty seats. However, it made it clear that esports doesn’t really cuts it As entertaining as the virtual Grand Prix was, it also highlighted that esports aren’t a replacement for the real thing. Technical issues, including Norris not being able to connect to the race at all, forced organizers to cut the race’s planned 28 laps down to 14.