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Alpine F1 Team to make virtual racing debut

Alpine F1 Team to make virtual racing debut

Alpine F1 Team is to compete in the upcoming Virtual Grand Prix series ahead of the Formula 1 team’s much anticipated on-track debut in March.

The team is set to race under its 2020 livery for the duration of the series.

Christian Lundgaard and Oscar Piastri (pictured above) make-up Alpine’s first driver line-up for its debut appearance in virtual racing for the opening round of the 2021 Virtual Grand Prix series at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday.

In a different format to last year’s series, Nicolas Longuet and Fabrizio Donoso – fresh from their third-place finish in the 2020 F1 Pro Series Constructors’ Championship – will take charge of the Sprint Race against fellow F1 Esports competitors to determine the starting grid. The baton will then be handed to the team’s young drivers for the subsequent Feature Race.

Christian and Oscar will be competing in round one of the virtual series from their own homes in Denmark and Australia.

The pair have history in the series, with Christian claiming a second and sixth place in his two virtual appearances last year. Oscar managed a top five finish when he claimed fifth on his virtual racing debut at the Azerbaijan Virtual Grand Prix.

With a $100,000 charity prize fund distributed amongst teams based on their final standings, the team has chosen The Talent Tap as its charity partner for the series. This social mobility charity helps to create career launching opportunities for school leavers by giving them the right tools, skills and networks to fulfil their potential.

The choice of Talent Tap is part of our Social and Environmental Responsibility program and more specifically our actions on diversity and inclusion in line with Formula 1’s commitment to make the sport more inclusive.

Following the conclusion of this weekend’s race, the virtual racing series heads to Silverstone for round two before finishing the championship a week later at the Brazilian circuit in Interlagos.

Guillaume Vergnas, Partnerships Development and Esports Manager: “The return of the Virtual Grands Prix series for a second year is a fantastic initiative from Formula 1 and we’re very pleased to see it back following its successful debut in 2020.

“The series has provided enormous exposure to the entire Esports world and Formula 1. As Alpine in F1 Esports, it’s a great opportunity to showcase the link between virtual and real racing by having our Esports and young drivers racing together in the game.

“We had strong results last year when Christian and Oscar stepped up into the virtual driving seat, so we’re hoping to see the same once again. This year the potential prize fund for our chosen charity: The Talent Tap, provides us with an extra initiative to do even better in the series.”

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