'Race for the World' rakes in $70k - Leclerc takes title

Charles Leclerc was crowned the winner of the 'Race for the World' series after triumphing in the third and final installment of the Esports challenge which raised over $70,000 for COVID-19 relief efforts.

The six-race online series was set up by Leclerc and several of his F1 colleagues with the aim of raising funds for the World Health Organisation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Relief Fund.

Racing on Codemasters' 2019 F1 platform and streaming their efforst on Twitch, Friday's group of drivers kicked off their evening with a race at the Circuit de Catalunya in which former McLaren charger Stoffel Vandoorne put one over on poleman Arthur Leclerc and Luca Albon.

• Vettel gearing up for sim racing debut!

Charles Leclerc came out on top of a fierce battle with Louis Deletraz and Williams' Nicholas Latifi to finish fourth.

But the Ferrari driver was a force to be reckoned with from the outset in the second race held at the Red Bull Ring which saw Leclerc and Alex Albon engage in a proper showdown that led to the Red Bull driver pipping his rival on the final lap.

However, Albon's abuse of track limits and corner cutting yieled a series of penalties that demoted the British-Thai racer to third, leaving the runner-up spot to his young brother Luca.

Overall, the online virtual mini-series generated over $70,000 of donations for the WHO, with the fund raising remaining open until midday Saturday.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter