Should Formula 1 create their own esport races during Grand Prix hiatus?
F1 News
Last weekend's Australian Grand Prix was cancelled at very short notice, but a third party company quickly organised an 'alternative' Grands Prix which saw online stars race with some real racing legends and current drivers using esports.
Two online races took place during the weekend which were streamed live online. One of them included Max Verstappen storming pole position and then going on to win. While the other was organised by Jean-Eric Vergne on the actual Melbourne track.
Lando Norris took part in the event, as did Stoffel Vandoorne and Esteban Guitierrez. But is this something Formula 1 can organise on a weekly basis while we wait for the action to return on the actual track?
"We didn't have all the F1 drivers, but we did have stars," Vergne told Ouest France newspaper.
"There are also gamers who are stars of esports, with millions of followers. Some have almost more fans than some drivers. I just wanted to give fans the opportunity to see a race. Everyone was waiting for the start of the season and was frustrated, so we created this one in two days."
Success
"It was a great success, with overtaking, fighting, different strategies. You could see the atmosphere of F1 and motorsport a bit, although it's obviously different. But in the end, we saw real drivers competing in a very realistic video game," Vergne continued.
"We will try to do all the Grands Prix of the season. We should have more F1 drivers coming, which will be announced in the coming days before Bahrain."