Hinwil, 8th February 2021 – The Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN esports team had a busy evening of competition in the second round of the 2021 Virtual Grand Prix Series, as Thibaut Courtois and Jack McDermott finished in P11 and P14 in Silverstone.
Earlier in the evening, esports pros, Daniel Bereznay and Simon Weigang, had done a fine job in securing high starting positions for the “celebrity” duo in the main feature race. Qualifying in P6 and 10 respectively, Bereznay and Weigang kept their cool in the hectic, five-lap race to make up places: both saved their ERS and tyres for the final lap, when they were able to climb into third and sixth places, good positions ahead of the main event.
Both Courtois and McDermott, aka PieFace, were eager to pick up where they had left off in Austria, both showing good pace in the opening event of the series. Real Madrid goalkeeper, Courtois, had a perfect getaway on the grid, muscling past Alex Albon and climbing to second, while football fan McDermott dispatched George Russell for P5. They both settled into a rhythm heading to their first pit-stops, but their races were once again compromised by the issues that hampered them in Austria.
A contact with a rival spun Belgium international Courtois around, costing him time and positions, while PieFace was at the receiving end of two time penalties for track limits. At the chequered flag, Thibaut crossed in P11, a mere six tenths away from a points-paying position; PieFace, who had stopped a final time to try and claim the fastest lap on fresh tyres, was 14th. Both drivers felt very unlucky about how their races developed, but spirits remained high as both enjoyed the wheel-to-wheel battles and their pace.
With one round remaining, in Brazil, there are plenty of promising signs to build on: both drivers are motivated to finish the series in style – as this incredible competition deserves.
About Sauber Group of Companies:
The Sauber Group of Companies is composed of three operational entities: Sauber Motorsport AG, which operates and manages the Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN Formula One team; Sauber Engineering AG, which focuses on prototype development and additive manufacturing; and Sauber Aerodynamik AG, which conducts full and model-scale testing in the factory’s state-of-the-art wind tunnel and creates ground-breaking innovations in the field of aerodynamics. The companies collaborate closely and share know-how to apply the expertise of more than 500 dedicated individuals at the headquarter in Hinwil, Switzerland, to all internal and external projects. Since its founding in 1970, the passion for racing has been at the heart of Sauber.
For more than 50 years, the innovative Swiss company has been setting standards in the design, development and construction of race cars for various championship series, such as Formula One, DTM, and WEC. Following its own Formula One debut in 1993, Sauber Motorsport AG has established one of the few traditional and privately held teams in the sport. After 25 years of competition in Formula One, the company launched a long-term partnership with Alfa Romeo in 2018 and enters the 2020 championship under the new team name Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN
