LONDON: England Test cricketer Stuart Broad will race his World Cup winning team mate Ben Stokes and a handful of Formula One drivers in the fourth of a series of virtual grands prix this weekend.

Broad will represent the Red Bull-owned AlphaTauri team while Stokes, who came last on his debut in a virtual Vietnam Grand Prix this month, is back for Red Bull alongside F1 regular Alexander Albon.

AC Milan soccer captain Alessio Romagnoli will also feature for AlphaTauri.

Sunday’s virtual Formula One race will be on the day the Dutch GP, postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has stalled the season, was supposed to return after a 35-year absence.

The esports race will be on a virtual version of Brazil’s Interlagos circuit, decided by a fan vote on social media, since Zandvoort does not feature on the 2019 edition of the F1 videogame.

Formula One drivers Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), George Russell and Nicholas Latifi (both Williams) and Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo) will also take part.

Leclerc, who has been active in a range of esports activities from his Monaco home including virtual truck and lawnmower races, has attracted a hefty following on his Twitch streaming platform.

The Ferrari driver will be going for his third straight win in the F1 series.

Retired world rally champion Petter Solberg will meanwhile make his debut for the Renault team.

“Making my @F1 debut at 45, all without leaving my house... this will be exciting!,” the Norwegian said on Twitter.

Formula One said more than 16 million people had tuned in to the first three races on television and across digital platforms.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2020