Dominant Russell wins final Virtual GP round

Michael Delaney 14/02/2021 at 20:29

George Russell left only crumbs to his rivals in the third and final round of F1's 2021 Virtual GP series, the Williams driver crushing the opposition in the online event held at Interlagos.

Russell launched his race from a lowly P14 but skillfully took advantage of a bout of chaos that occurred at the start at Turn 1 to place himself third on the opening lap behind Ferrari's Dino Beganovic and Renault invitee and poleman Arnaud Tsamere.

By lap 3, Russell was in charge of proceedings, never looking back while keeping Haas' Enzo Fittipaldi at bay, although the Briton briefly had some doubts at one point about his strategy.

"Mate I’m fully focused here, I think I’m on completely the wrong strategy," he quipped.

However, Russell's charge continued unabated while Fittipaldi settled into third. Red Bull's Alex Albon snatched the final spot on the podium despite a three-second penalty and a fierce battle with Beganovic in the early part of the race.

Russell's Sao Paulo GP win was the Williams driver's sixth consecutive Virtual GP victory.

Thanks to a strong campaign by the Fittipaldi brothers in the three-race series, Haas claimed the overall title which in turn handed to the US outfit a nice share of the $100,000 prize money which the team donated to its chosen charity, the Grand Prix Trust.

Chaos at Turn 1 😱@GeorgeRussell63 into the top three
Join us as the Virtual Sao Paulo Grand Prix continues!#VirtualGP 🎮 #F1
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 14, 2021