8 June 2020
Piastri secures fifth place on his virtual racing debut for Renault DP World F1 Team
Renault Sport Academy driver Oscar Piastri finished in fifth position for Renault DP World F1 Team on his virtual F1 racing debut in the Formula 1 Virtual Grand Prix Series at the Baku City Circuit.
Competing against established F1 drivers and experienced virtual racers, Oscar turned in a strong qualifying performance to claim fifth on the grid. The 19-year-old Australian then launched from his starting spot and into turn one of the narrow streets of Baku, but a small collision and resulting spin demoted the reigning Formula Renault Eurocup champion down to tenth position.
Opting for a one-stop strategy like many in the field, Oscar was then required to pull off some impressive overtaking moves during the 26-lap virtual race and eventually was able to claw his way back to fifth place in the final classification.
His team-mate for the race French and Manchester City football star Aymeric Laporte experienced his first taste of virtual racing and finished in eighteenth place against a highly competitive field of current Formula 1 and junior drivers, as well as other celebrities.
In the professional race, Renault Vitality’s Nicolas Longuet finished in seventh place, after the Frenchman recovered from a difficult qualifying session. His team-mate, Fabrizio Donoso, finished fifteenth at the chequered flag.
Earlier in the evening, Oscar warmed up for his race with a dominant victory in the FIA Formula 2 virtual Feature race despite being a rookie in the field. His RSA team-mate Chinese driver Guanyu Zhou continued his fine form in virtual racing, taking third position in the sprint race.
Oscar Piastri: “I think my debut in virtual racing went pretty well and it was great to represent Renault DP World F1 Team. I got off to a good start with a win in the FIA Formula 2 Feature race earlier in the evening, and so I headed into the Virtual Grand Prix with some confidence. I was pleased with my start in this race considering I hadn’t done it before, but a small spin resulting from some contact in turn one meant I lost some ground. I then had to put in some good overtaking moves and keep a consistent pace to recover and finish strongly in fifth. Overall, I am pretty happy with my performance. Hopefully I get another chance to do one of these again, it was great fun.”
Aymeric Laporte: “That was an amazing experience and great fun to be a part of the Formula 1 Virtual Azerbaijan Grand Prix. I want to say thank you to Renault for making it happen and of course my teammate, Oscar Piastri. It was a shame I couldn’t finish the race properly, but I had a good time and it was fun to race against some of my fellow professionals and see how quick the Formula 1 drivers were on the game.”