Racing stars head online

As racing circuits lie empty, eSports promoters are seizing the moment, bringing professional drivers together in virtual competition.

On the date of the Australian Grand Prix, an online race organised by Veloce eSports, involving Lando Norris, Stoffel Vandoorne and Esteban Gutiérrez, was watched more than 2m times. The 29-lap competition, on the Albert Park circuit in F1 2019, had professional gamers take the top spots above the drivers. Max Verstappen, Juan Pablo Montoya and Antonio Felix da Costa took part in another eSports race the same day.

NASCAR has teamed-up with iRacing to launch an eSports competition involving 2019 Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, and IMSA also hosted a 90-minute race involving championship drivers in place of the Sebring 12 Hours.