Drivers who aren't afraid of a little stress will start their engines Sunday for the Esports Virtual Grand Prix

With mass gatherings not exactly the best idea in the world right now, traditional sports leagues continue to come up with new ways to engage fans.

On that front, eSports is playing a major role in helping to fill the void, that continuing tomorrow when Formula 1 launches its F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix series at 7 p.m. 

Tomorrow's race will see F1 teams offering up a digital version of the Bahrain Grand Prix, a night race which would normally take place in the Kingdom of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. Expected to have a run time of an hour and a half, the 28-lap event will be broadcast on YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook, with drivers playing on Codemasters' F1 2019 PC video game. 

To replicate the real-life F1 experience, the race will include a qualifying period where the fastest lap times will determine starting positions. With the entire world in lockdown because of COVID-19, F1 drivers and guest stars will play remotely. 

In announcing the kickoff of its Esports Virtual Grand Prix series, F1 suggested it will do its best to level the playing field, noting the following on its website: "Due to the wide variety of gaming skill levels amongst the drivers, game settings will be configured in such a way to encourage competitive and entertaining racing. This includes running equal car performance with fixed setups, reduced vehicle damage, and optional anti-lock brakes and traction control for those less familiar with the game. The series is strictly for entertainment purposes, to bring racing action to fans in this unprecedented scenario the world has been affected by, with no official World Championship points up for grabs for the drivers."

Virtual Grand Prix races will take place for each Formula race scheduled for this season right up until May. Formula 1 also plans online exhibition races on non-event weekends, where fans will be able to lap F1 drivers in head-to-head competitions. 

Even with all the levelling of the field, the stress of a virtual race has evidently already proved too much for many F1 drivers. 

This morning, Red Bull-sponsored Max Verstappen announced that he would be pulling out of the series, citing a lack of experience with the F1 official game. Verstappen, who is is no stranger to online racing, had been the only current F1 driver to sign on for the Virtual Grand Prix. Funnily, he's one of the playable characters. 

 https://twitter.com/Max33Verstappen/status/1240357434415353856 

Past F1 stars still scheduled to suit up and grab their controllers tomorrow include former F1ers Nico Hulkenberg, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Nelson Piquet Jr.