Leclerc headlines charity Esports event

Jamie Woodhouse
Charles Leclerc peering forward hand on forehead

Charles Leclerc wants to give the "mythical" Le Mans a go following virtual race.

Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris top the list of the F1 drivers taking part in the new ‘Race for the World’ Esports competition.

The virtual series will look to raise money for the World Health Organisation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Relief Fund.

Leclerc was one of those involved with setting up the initiative, with the aim of the series being to raise $100,000 to help battle the devastating effects of COVID-19 around the world.

In a social media post Leclerc said: “So happy to make this happen.

“We all need to be united in this and to see all of this group coming together for one cause feels great.”

Leclerc will also be joined by fellow F1 stars Alex Albon, Norris, Antonio Giovinazzi and Williams duo George Russell and Nicholas Latifi.

It’s going to be a double family battle as Arthur Leclerc races against his older brother again after their first showing as part of the F1 Esports Series ‘in Australia’ for Ferrari.

Albon will also have to race against a sibling as Luca takes part.

From Formula 2 Giuliano Alesi, Louis Deletraz, Sean Gelael, Antonio Fuoco, Callum Ilott and Christian Lundgaard will all be taking part.

Formula E Championship leader Antonio Felix da Costa will be in action, as will 2019 Super Formula champion Nick Cassidy and Haas reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi.

Motorbike racer Luca Salvadori will feature on the entry list, while Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois completes the 19-person grid.

The event will be a three-night series. It all begins on Saturday April 11 from 6pm BST, with races then taking place on the following Tuesday and Friday.

There will be two races in each round, run at quarter-length distance. The track will be decided at random 15 minutes before the race starts with the whole round lasting around two hours.

The races will be streamed online, while the donations page can be found here.

In a statement the event promoters said: “The initiative is a response to the current global pandemic lockdown.

“[It] gives the drivers another opportunity to race online, to entertain fans across the world, and to raise some money for the WHO fund that has been established to help fight coronavirus across the world.”

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