Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will become the latest football star to tackle a Formula 1 Virtual Grand Prix in this weekend’s Monaco round, while Renault’s Esteban Ocon makes his debut.
Ocon becomes the eighth driver from the real-world F1 field to take part in a Virtual GP, and the first Renault race driver to get involved.
Arsenal striker Aubameyang will partner F1 driver Lando Norris in the McLaren roster for the event taking place on the F1 2019 game’s version of the legendary Monte Carlo street circuit.
The Virtual GP series has already attracted a host of famous footballers, with Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero, Barcelona’s Arthur Melo, Lazio’s Ciro Immobile and Milan’s Alessio Romagnoli having competed so far.
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire was initially scheduled to take part in the previous round at Barcelona but had to miss it due to the birth of his second daughter.
The captain of Arsenal and the Gabonese national football team, Aubameyang became a world-renowned striker during his time at German club Borussia Dortmund, with which he won the German DFB-Pokal cup in 2017.
He moved to Arsenal the year after, and currently sits second in the goalscorers’ ranking for the current Premier League season.
The Monaco round is the sixth contest in the Virtual GP series, thought up by F1 as an alternative form of entertainment while real-life racing remains on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Renault-backed F2 racer Guan Yu Zhou won the inaugural event, but each race since has been won by an active F1 driver.
