Photo: Veloce Esports/screenshot from Youtube
Let's be honest: pandemic or no pandemic, taking a forced break from motorsports isn't easy for us gearheads. And it's not easy for racing drivers either. Cue in Veloce Esports, The Race and Podium eSports, who scrambled faster than you can say 'COVID-19 is ruining everything' and put together some impressive virtual events this past weekend. With the way things are going, we're probably going to get a lot more of those. And we'll happily take them.
'Not the... Aus GP by Veloce Esports' got the most traction, probably since it was a proper replacement for the Australian Grand Prix, the first round of the Formula 1 season. We dare say 'proper' because it was a full-length race played out in the Formula 1 2019 video game, with the official support of Formula 1 and featuring F1 drivers Lando Norris and Esteban Gutierrez, Formula E and former F1 driver Stoffel Vandoorne, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and a host of esports/streaming big names. Don't worry, everybody stayed safely indoors in their own houses.
Despite a fumble at the start, when he raced ahead not realizing it was just the formation lap, Norris finished 6th and had the most viewed stream on Twitch, also earning praise from his F1 team McLaren on Twitter. Gutierrez crossed the line 10th, followed immediately by Courtois, while Vandoorne was 15th. As a side-note, organizers Veloce Esports were cofounded by former F1 driver and reigning Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne.
Elsewhere on Sunday, we also had 'The Race All-Star esports Battle', played out in rFactor 2 with a very impressive lineup of racing drivers like Max Verstappen, Juan Pablo Montoya and son Sebastian, Antonio Felix da Costa, Nelson Piquet Jr., Eduardo Barrichello, Colton Herta, Felix Rosenqvist, and Marc Gassner. Plus sim racers and other participants with various backgrounds, and BBC Radio Formula 1 commentators Jolyon Palmer and Jack Nicholls joining in as... well, commentators.
This was a different type of event, with multiple heats raced using open-wheeled, F1-type cars, and, as was the case with the Veloce event, gamers dominated and came out on top. Verstappen had an impressive performance in the qualifying heats but didn't make the final, which had Rosenqvist as the best-placed real-world driver, in 7th place.
Finally, another thing we watched instead of the canceled Australian GP was the iRacing event 'The Replacements 100' (ha, see what they did there?). Since it was a stock car race, we were able to enjoy a nice field of current NASCAR drivers like Dale Earnhardt, Jr., William Byron, Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace, Justin Allgaier, Taylor Gray, Ben Rhodes, Harrison Burton, and Justin Haley, complemented by other NASCAR staff and streamers. Byron ranked best out of the pro drivers, finishing 2nd, behind winner Josh Williams, Ryan Blaney's spotter. That must've hurt the drivers' pride a little, huh?
Despite a fumble at the start, when he raced ahead not realizing it was just the formation lap, Norris finished 6th and had the most viewed stream on Twitch, also earning praise from his F1 team McLaren on Twitter. Gutierrez crossed the line 10th, followed immediately by Courtois, while Vandoorne was 15th. As a side-note, organizers Veloce Esports were cofounded by former F1 driver and reigning Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne.
Elsewhere on Sunday, we also had 'The Race All-Star esports Battle', played out in rFactor 2 with a very impressive lineup of racing drivers like Max Verstappen, Juan Pablo Montoya and son Sebastian, Antonio Felix da Costa, Nelson Piquet Jr., Eduardo Barrichello, Colton Herta, Felix Rosenqvist, and Marc Gassner. Plus sim racers and other participants with various backgrounds, and BBC Radio Formula 1 commentators Jolyon Palmer and Jack Nicholls joining in as... well, commentators.
This was a different type of event, with multiple heats raced using open-wheeled, F1-type cars, and, as was the case with the Veloce event, gamers dominated and came out on top. Verstappen had an impressive performance in the qualifying heats but didn't make the final, which had Rosenqvist as the best-placed real-world driver, in 7th place.
Finally, another thing we watched instead of the canceled Australian GP was the iRacing event 'The Replacements 100' (ha, see what they did there?). Since it was a stock car race, we were able to enjoy a nice field of current NASCAR drivers like Dale Earnhardt, Jr., William Byron, Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace, Justin Allgaier, Taylor Gray, Ben Rhodes, Harrison Burton, and Justin Haley, complemented by other NASCAR staff and streamers. Byron ranked best out of the pro drivers, finishing 2nd, behind winner Josh Williams, Ryan Blaney's spotter. That must've hurt the drivers' pride a little, huh?
"I'M P6! WOHOOOOO!!"
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) March 15, 2020
Nice one, @LandoNorris. That was... interesting! ##NotTheAusGP pic.twitter.com/jFpZRUypjO
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