Virtual Canadian Grand Prix: Can anyone stop George Russell? Race format, how to watch, channels, live stream, drivers & more


The Virtual Grand Prix Series moves on to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada.

There is just a month to go until F1 2020 arrives, and a few weeks until the new season starts.

Who will be racing today? And can anyone beat George Russell?

Who can stop George Russell?

The Williams driver made it three wins in a row with an incredibly dominant display in Baku on Sunday.

In the unofficial standings he has a commanding lead over his F1 peers.

virtual gp standings
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Russell's display was so strong that his pole lap around Baku was just seven tenths slower than David Tonizza's lap in the F1 Esports Pro Exhibition Race earlier the same day.

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That's a remarkable feat given that the F1 drivers are using default setups and auto ERS rather than the bespoke ones the pros are allowed to use.

So can anyone stop Russell? The chances look slim, but the Canadian GP is another place where pit strategy is crucial, overtaking is more than possible, and crashes will happen.

Likely F1 drivers

11 of the 20 current F1 drivers have taken part in the Virtual GPs, which is amazing.

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CLOSE FIGHT: The F1 drivers have been enjoying their virtual sparring

At this point we are unlikely to see new F1 drivers enter the fray. But Russell, Charles Leclerc, Alex Albon, Lando Norris, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Nicholas Latifi are all likely to appear once again.

It would be good to see Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, Sergio Perez, Valterri Bottas, or Esteban Ocon again though.

Celebrity drivers

Thibaut Courtois has become as much a fixture in these races as the F1 guys, so his return is likely.

We are also likely to see a Red Bull athlete take the second seat next to Alex Albon once again.

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ON ITS WAY: F1 2020 is nearly here

Streamers Jimmy Broadbent and Ben Daly (aka Tiametmarduk) are also likely to make a return to the race.

How to watch

The Virtual Canadian Grand Prix will start at 6pm BST on Sunday, 14 June.

The race will be streamed live on the official Formula 1 channels on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch.

It will also likely be carried by whatever TV channel would normally air Formula 1 races in your country.

Formula 2 & F1 Esports Pro Exhibition Race

There will be the usual support races for the Virtual GP.

The Formula 2 race will start at 4pm BST and the F1 Esports pros will take to the track at 5pm BST.

Both these races will be streamed live on Formula 1's official YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch accounts.

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For more articles like this, take a look at our F1 and Motorsport page.