Alex Albon won the latest iteration of the F1 Esports Virtual GP Series, finishing top of the podium (George Russell in second and Charles Leclerc in third) at Sao Paolo's Interlagos circuit in the digital recreation of the Brazilian Grand Prix, while his teammate, England cricketer Ben Stokes, managed to finish in a respectable thirteenth (importantly for him, four places above his international teammate, Stuart Broad).
"I was shaking and sweating after crossing the line as I had so much adrenaline in my body," Albon said after the win. "I think my Team and our strategy ultimately gave us the edge as on pace, Charles was very quick. Qualifying wasn't great but I've been practising my starts and I've got to thank Honda and my engineer Marcel for the great launch! Once Charles and I had built a gap we started to fight and it was really good fun, I enjoyed it a lot and ultimately, we had the best strategy. It was nice to get the adrenaline going and feel the pressure slightly - it's something we miss from the race weekends. It was great too to have my teammate Ben back and he did a great job after all the practice he's put in."
The racing series, which has proven a fun distraction for racing fans with the real-world event shut down due to coronavirus, will return next weekend for another round. The F1 Esports Virtual GP Series is back on May 10 and will this time take place on Spain's Circuit de Barcelona.