Russell wins virtual F1 Monaco GP; Leclerc finishes in third

Williams driver George Russell of Britain steers his car during the qualifying Formula One session. (Jens Meyer/AP)

Formula One driver George Russell won the virtual Monaco Grand Prix race by a large margin on the day the iconic race would have been held.

The 22-year-old British driver, who races for the Williams team in F1, finished 39 seconds ahead of former F1 driver Esteban Gutierrez of Mexico.

Charles Leclerc, who is from Monaco and lives near the actual race track’s start line, finished in third place. He was 15 seconds behind Gutierrez.

The 22-year-old Leclerc’s younger brother, Arthur Leclerc, was fifth _ behind F1 Red Bull driver Alexander Albon.

F1 has been holding virtual races because the real series has not started this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The first 10 races have been either postponed or cancelled outright. Monaco was cancelled for the first time in 66 years.

Virtual racing has proved popular during lockdowns around the world, and Sunday’s event featured prolific Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, and big-wave surfer Kai Lenny.

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