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F1 World Championship

Albon ends Leclerc streak as Stokes laps up bragging rights over Broad

Leclerc had won the previous two races but saw his streak come to an end in the latest round of Formula One's Esports series on Sunday.

The Ferrari driver was involved in a see-saw battle around the famous Interlagos circuit in Brazil, a switch of venue required with the Zandvoort track in the Netherlands not available.

Eventually Albon sealed glory for Red Bull, while Leclerc suffered further disappointment when a three-second penalty relegated him down to third place, meaning a promotion for George Russell.

"I was shaking afterwards. I had so much adrenaline going through my body," Albon told Sky Sports F1. "I feel more scared driving a simulator than the real thing - the pressure was unbelievable."

Leclerc was not too disappointed to have missed out on a hat-trick, saying: "I knew I had the penalty, but after that it was about having fun. I really enjoyed this race."

The other battle of interest in the field turned out to be less eventful, however.

Stokes - who had previously competed in the Australian GP - comfortably finished ahead of his international team-mate Stuart Broad, the latter coming home in 17th at the end of his virtual race debut.

As for the real Formula One season, the coronavirus-hit campaign is hoping to finally begin in Austria in early July.

Owzat! England star Stokes to take to the track in virtual F1 grand prix

Stokes is one of cricket's biggest names but will now be pushing his boundaries against F1 pros Charles Leclerc, Alexander Albon, George Russell, Lando Norris and Nicholas Latifi.

The inaugural race in Formula One's Virtual Grand Prix Series, an Esports tournament filling the void in the absence of the usual race calendar amid the coronavirus pandemic, took place on March 22, with cyclist Chris Hoy, golfer Ian Poulter and ex-One Direction star Liam Payne taking part – the latter showing no control as he finished 17th.

Former driver Johnny Herbert – who finished in 13th – returns for a second shot.

Sunday's race, which will be broadcast live at 19:00 UTC on F1's official YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels, is scheduled to last 90 minutes and will be held at the virtual Albert Park track, the venue often used for the Australian Grand Prix.

A qualifying period will determine grid positions, followed by a 28-lap race.