MONDAY, MAY 4, 2020 12 Khawaja vows to bounce back after contract snub Fantastic virtual double for Leclerc Ferrari academy driver clinches F2 races in Bahrain round of all-new Esports series TDT | Manama rthur Leclerc, the young- er brother of Formula 1 Asuperstar Charles Le- clerc, clinched a double victory KNOW WHAT Australia’s Usman Khawaja reacts yesterday at a virtual Bahrain In- during a match (file photo) ternational Circuit, in the open- ing round of an all-new Esports Reuters | Sydney racing series featuring drivers Seven F2 drivers and mostly from the FIA Formula 2 seven F3 drivers from sman Khawaja be - and FIA Formula 3 champion- the 2020 season took Ulieves he is still among ships. part, together with Australia’s top six batsmen The races were held using F2 former F2 and multiple and can force his way back cars on the F1 2019 video game. race winners Oliver into the squad after being Driving for Prema Racing, Le- dropped a few days ago clerc won both the 30-minute Rowland, Antonio Fuo- from the list of contracted Feature Race and the ensuing co and Norman Nato, players. five-lap Sprint Race in which plus fresh face Leclerc The top order batsman the top eight positions were re- was omitted from Austral- versed. Feature Race. ia’s annual list of 20 elite, Seven F2 drivers and seven After some chaos in the mid- contracted players in 2020, F3 drivers from the 2020 season field around the first corner, Le- A screen shot of the action from the start of the Feature Race announced on Thursday, af- took part, together with former clerc was able to build a big lead ter falling out of favour with F2 and multiple race winners and was unchallenged the rest son, who had worked his way second place, just as leader Nato at a virtual BIC, three more selectors midway through Oliver Rowland, Antonio Fuoco of the way to take a comfortable back up the pack after stalling of Carlin was given a two-sec- rounds are to follow in the com- last year’s Ashes. and Norman Nato, plus fresh victory. from second on the grid, man- ond penalty for track limits. ing weeks. They will be held at “Without sounding arro- face Leclerc. The races were He finished ahead of run- aged to get past the pair to round Nato went on to take the cheq- the virtual circuits in Barcelona, gant, I still feel like I’m one streamed live on Formula 1’s ner-up Rowland of DAMS. out the podium. uered flag, but Leclerc and Louis Monte Carlo and Baku. of the top six batsmen in the YouTube and Twitch channels. The battle for third was large- MP Motorsport’s Felipe Deletraz of Charouz Racing Sys- To keep the racing competi- country,” the 33-year-old Leclerc, who is also a Ferrari ly between Campos Racing’s Drugovich was then on pole for tem were close enough to inherit tive and accessible in the series, lefthander told Fox Sports academy driver, took pole in the Jack Aitken and Virtuosi’s Cal- the Sprint Race. At the start, first and second ahead of their car set-ups are fixed, driver aids yesterday. one-lap qualifying session and lum Ilott; however, Aitken’s Leclerc quickly worked his way penalised rival. are permitted (but optional), led the pack at the start of the Campos teammate Liam Law- up into fifth and later charged to Following the opening round and damage is off. Froome fears Tour de France may Coca Cola Bottling Company contribute Vettel makes his esports struggle to keep fans away water bottles to KHK Heroes Challenge debut in Legends Trophy TDT | Manama AFP | London oca Cola Bottling Company hris Froome fears Tour Cis the latest organization to Cde France organisers accept the KHK Heroes Chal- could struggle to prevent lenge and has provided water fans gathering to watch the bottles for distribution. race even if it is not open to The latest contribution is one the public because of the of many, bringing the current coronavirus. total of contributions to the The Tour de France has initiative to an overwhelming been rescheduled for Au- amount of food, water, financial gust 29 from its original donations, and volunteers. June 27 start date, but there Mohamed Akeel, Managing are still concerns about how Director of Coca Cola Bottling to organise the event amid Company, UAE, Oman, Qatar & the pandemic. Bahrain said, “It’s an amazing Mohamed Akeel, Managing Director of Coca Cola Bottling Company is seen The French government initiative and we are honoured holding a bottle manufactured at his company says no mass gatherings can to be part of this global KHK take place before Septem- Heroes Challenge.” preme Commander, and First Advisor and President of the Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel reacts prior to a race (file photo) ber, but has clarified the Initiated by HH Shaikh Khalid Deputy Premier and HH Shaikh Supreme Council for Youth and Tour could still go ahead bin Hamad Al Khalifa to sup- Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Sports, KHK Heroes has called Reuters | London and Williams F1 driver Juan on its new dates if the open- port the vision of HRH Prince His Majesty the King’s Repre- on the nation for a united cause, Pablo Montoya, a double In- ing stages are managed cor- Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, sentative for Charity Works and helping those most vulnerable errari’s Sebastian Vettel dianapolis 500 winner, while rectly. the Crown Prince, Deputy Su- Youth Affairs, National Security during Coronavirus Pandemic. Fmade his esports debut on the second went to Mexican Saturday in Legends Trophy Adrian Fernandez. races that also featured retired Vettel’s team mate Charles Formula One world champions Leclerc has been active on var- Emerson Fittipaldi and Jenson ious platforms from his Mo- England’s ‘stir-crazy’ Roy happy to play behind closed doors Button. naco apartment, even taking The German has some time part in virtual lawn mower and Reuters | London man when the bowler’s running on his hands with Formula truck races. in you learn to block out the One’s season stalled by the The 22-year-old Mone - ngland’s Jason Roy is ready crowd, but as soon as the ball is COVID-19 pandemic and or- gasque has also won two For- Eto play in empty stadiums if done you can hear them going ganisers hoping to get going mula One virtual races and will the post-coronavirus situation absolutely berserk. in Austria at the start of July. take part in another yesterday, demands so, said the opener “(In Lahore) there was just The four times champion which would have been the who got a taste of it in his last dead silence. You could hear finished 15th and 12th respec- day of the postponed Dutch outing. your mate calling ones and twos, tively after being caught up in Grand Prix at Zandvoort. Roy played a Pakistan Super so you don’t just have to work incidents on the virtual version Vettel acquired a simulator League match on May 7 which off each other’s body language. of the Sepang circuit that host- only recently from the Al- took place behind closed doors It was hard to get up for it. But ed the Malaysian Grand Prix linsports company owned by in Lahore just before the pan- it was something we knew we between 1999 and 2017. Torque Esports, organisers of demic halted international had to deal with.” While Vettel, 32, and Button, the Legends Trophy, and said sports across the globe. Playing without fans has been 40, are both actual Malaysian he would try it out for fun at “There was no atmosphere, suggested as one possible way Grand Prix winners, 73-year- his Swiss home. simple as that,” the Dur - to resume cricket as soon as the old Fittipaldi’s time was in the “I’m aware that some peo- ban-born batsman, a key figure pandemic subsides and Roy was 1970s when the real Brabham ple take it very seriously and in England’s World Cup win- ready to adjust. BT44s, simulated in the virtual spend a lot of time there but I ning squad last year, told British “I’m more than happy to play race, were around. also enjoy doing other things,” media. behind closed doors. It would The first race was won by the German, a father of three, “It was very strange. As a bats- just be nice to get out there.” England’s Jason Roy reacts during a match (file photo) Colombian former McLaren told reporters this month. Hon. 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