Bahrain Virtual Grand Prix result: Guanyu Zhou wins inaugural F1 eSports race cut short by technical problems
Inaugural Virtual Grand Prix had to be cut in half due to technical issues but provides plenty of drama as F2 prospect makes history with online victory
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Your support makes all the difference.Guangu Zhou made history by winning the first Formula One Virtual Bahrain Grand Prix on a chaotic and technically-challenging night, as live motorsport returned to screens amid the coronavirus crisis.
Teething issues with the event could not mask the fact that F1 was attempting to bring a bit of light relief at a hugely difficult time, with the outbreak of Covid-19 currently sweeping the world and causing nearly all sport to be cancelled due to health concerns.
As a result, F1 have committed to running a Virtual Grand Prix each race weekend, with the first taking place at the Bahrain International Circuit. Unfortunately, the short-notice left many F1 stars unable to compete, leaving only Lando Norris and Nicholas Latifi as the only current drivers on the grid. But they were made up with a host of famous names, with former drivers Nico Hulkenberg, Stoffel Vandoorne, Anthony Davidson and Johnny Herbert all competing, while the more well-known names from outside of the sport featured Olympian Sir Chris Hoy and former One Direction star Liam Payne.
However, a lengthy delay that saw Norris unable to take part in qualifying meant that the race was cut to 25 per cent distance, leaving a 14-lap shootout rather than the 28-lap scheduled Grand Prix, and the technical gremlins returned when the current McLaren star was booted out of the race on the formation lap.
A lightning start from Herbert resulted in a 10-second time penalty as he cut the first corner to take the lead, but the veteran could not hold on as Philip Eng and Zhou quickly passed him to battle for the lead. Zhou elected to pit early, and utilised the undercut to take a healthy lead when the stops cycled through, leading by more than nine second and take the chequered flag. Eng lost second place on the penultimate lap to a charging Vandoorne, and although Norris was able to make a late charge when he reconnected to the session, his hopes of salvaging fourth ended in a collision with Jimmy Broadbent at the final corner, leaving him down in fifth.
The series will return in two weeks' time, with F1 set to announce a random venue to replace the postponed Vietnamese Grand Prix.
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'Not The Bah GP'
Daly gets them both! The Red Bull takes eight through turn 11, while both Latifi and Amin go off in the fight and hand eighth to Broadbent when Daly's five-second penalty is added. Norris meanwhile spun on the final lap to drop from fourth to seventh.
'Not The Bah GP'
Talk about dominant victories, that was something else from Cem Bolukbasi. The Alpha Tauri driver (albeit in a Toro Rosso on F1 2019) rocketed from 14th to fifth on the opening lap by turn four, and by lap three he was into the lead and away at the front to claim a dominant win.
That wraps us up for the first event of the evening, but next it's the main event as the F1 Virtual Bahrain Grand Prix gets underway at 8pm.
Virtual Bahrain Grand Prix:
As we get ready to get the event underway, here's a look at who is lining up for each team...
Mercedes: Stoffel Vandoorne and Esteban Gutierrez
Ferrari: Robert Shwartzman and Dino Beganovic
Red Bull: Sir Chris Hoy and Philipp Eng
McLaren: Lando Norris and Nic Hamilton
Renault: Ian Poulter and Guanyu Zhou
AlphaTauri: Luca Salvadori and Sadokist
Racing Point: Nico Hulkenberg and Jimmy Broadbent
Alfa Romeo: Johnny Herbert and Cyanide
Haas: Anthony Davidson and Redeye
Williams: Nicholas Latifi and Liam Payne
Virtual Bahrain Grand Prix
So we've got a fair few returning faces for this race from the earlier 'Not The Bah GP', with Mercedes retaining Vandoorne and Gutierrez, Norris in the McLaren, Latifi in the Williams, Poulter in the Renault, and Hulkenberg in the Racing Point where he is joined by Broadbent who switches from Ferrari.
Virtual Bahrain Grand Prix
But it's the new faces who catch the eye. Sky Sports F1 presenter Anthony Davidson and Johnny Herbert are in action, both racing drivers in their own right, while current F2 driver Guanyu Zhou will turn out for Renault. However, you may have noticed a familiar name with Williams as One Direction's Liam Payne partners Nichola Latifi.
Virtual Bahrain Grand Prix
The main difference here is that there are no professional sim racers, meaning the level should be a little easier and the likes of Norris, Vandoorne and Broadbent will be closer to the front against the less-experienced guests.
Virtual Bahrain Grand Prix
Qualifying will get underway any second now with a 10-minute session to decide the grid for the 28-lap Grand Prix, which should take roughly 50 minutes to complete this evening.
Virtual Bahrain Grand Prix
The opening qualifying session is by all accounts carnage, with all drivers making a B-line for the track and crashing into each other int he process, resulting in a fair few spins and crashes too.
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