Veloce's James Doherty headlines F1 eSports qualifier
Veloce eSports member James Doherty was among the qualifiers from the penultimate week of the first stage of the second season of Formula 1's virtual series
Doherty became the second driver from Veloce, which recently revealed a partnership with current Formula E championship leader Jean-Eric Vergne, to qualify for the Pro Draft - where nine of the real-life F1 teams will choose drivers to represent them in the next stage of the competition.
He dominated a wet race at the Spanish Grand Prix circuit to beat Vegas eRace winner Bono Huis - one of Doherty's sim racing idols - by more than 10 seconds after just 17 laps of racing.
Watch Xbox highlights
Swede Kimmy Larsson - a semi-finalist in McLaren's 'World's Fastest Gamer' contest - edged Christoph Holstein by just 0.178s to book his place in the Pro Draft.
Frenchman Samuel Libeert jumped poleman Marek Schinz into Turn 1 on the opening lap of the PC race and held onto the lead until the end of the race. German teenager Schinz came home in second place, beating Tino Naukkarinen by 0.480s.
Meanwhile, Vitsaniemi Petteri, one of the members of Williams's new eSports team, picked up a five-second penalty for causing a collision with Istvan Puki on the opening lap, Puki was immediately eliminated from the race after losing his front-right wheel.
Watch PC highlights
PS4 polesitter Floris Wijers dominated the final race of the penultimate week of qualifiers to win by over four seconds.
"It was the best race I've ever driven," the 18-year-old Dutchman declared.
Jani Vitsaniemi took second with Gianfranco Giglioli, who finished eighth in the inaugural F1 eSports event in 2017, sealing the final qualifying place in third position.
Gamers will have one more chance to qualify for the Pro Draft, with Monaco playing host to the final round of qualifiers.
First gameplay clip from Codemasters' F1 2018 game revealed
Oscaro driver wins inaugural DiRT eSports world championships
Analysis: How an unlikely tie-up won sim racing's biggest race
An unlikely partnership between LMP1 privateer Rebellion Racing and Williams Formula 1's successful sim racing team yielded victory in the inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual. Here's how it triumphed in the biggest sim race ever staged
How poor driving standards ruined IndyCar's golden opportunity
The chaotic end to the virtual Indy 175 might be dismissed as "just a game," but the insulting actions of two IndyCar stars may have serious real-life consequences
Why Leclerc's Virtual GP annihilation deserves great credit
The introduction of Charles Leclerc, Alex Albon, George Russell and Antonio Giovinazzi to Formula 1's Virtual GP last weekend meant it was a step above the franchise's debut two weeks ago. But a dominant performance from Esports newcomer Leclerc stole the show
How the hidden side of being fast has been exposed
'Natural talent' is one of the biggest misnomers going in motorsport, and that is being proven by the way real life racers aren't immediately getting on the pace with the sim racing experts in virtual contests. To change that, they are having to apply the same tools required to be quick in real life
Why F1’s pantomime Virtual GP is fun but unsustainable
F1 Esports' inaugural Virtual Grand Prix last weekend provided brilliant entertainment to those tuning in to watch a mix of F1 drivers and celebrities battle on track, but was a missed opportunity for marketing its own Esports stars. A change of approach is needed if it is to successfully fill the void until the resumption of proper racing
The latest Red Bull exile to return in Esports
Since he was ejected from the programme at the end of 2006, the latest Red Bull junior driver brought back into the fold to race in Formula 1 - in a virtual sense for the inaugural Virtual GP - has had quite the career journey. From ADAC GT Masters and Porsche Supercup to Le Mans and the DTM, here's how a works pro got to relive a long-forgotten dream
Mercedes can be toppled in F1's other title race
Mercedes has not only set new standards in Formula 1, but it's also created a benchmark in Esports. Now its rivals have scrambled to catch up, there's a chance the Brendon Leigh-fronted Mercedes can be stopped
Why World's Fastest Gamer is returning to real-world racing
World's Fastest Gamer is a spiritual successor to the famous GT Academy. After a successful first year, it's returning to the Nissan programme's roots by targeting the real world of racing