F1: Legends x Reality – Six virtual drivers will compete in a race with a real driver

A unique project, developed over two years and involving six Formula 1 legends, will be carried out at the end of this month.

Called ‘Lap of Legends’, the race pits a real driver against virtual versions of historic champions for the first time. American Logan Sargeant, from Williams, will virtually face the legends, Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Jenson Button.

The team behind the project, Michel ULTRA, had previously been responsible for the groundbreaking ‘McEnroe vs McEnroe’, which paired tennis player John McEnroe with a virtual version of himself. Now, in F1, the new feature is a 15-lap virtual race at Silverstone. Sargeant will drive a Williams from last year, while the virtual legends will be aboard cars that marked an era for the team.

To enable interaction, a special augmented reality helmet was developed. Tested on the track by Ben Collins, the former ‘Stig’ from Top Gear, the equipment allows Sargeant to view the virtual world of the champions and receive information about the race in real time.

When creating the virtual drivers, the team researched more than 720 races and 1,260 hours of footage. The objective was to replicate the speed, driving style, technique and strategy of each one, in addition to the characteristics of their cars.

Sargeant will be in last year’s FW45 model, with the current Williams livery, but without features like DRS. The TV broadcast of the race will use 28 cameras, including four on-board, eight drones and additional cameras at every corner of Silverstone.

A group of journalists had access to a preview of the first five minutes of the program, during the recent Miami GP. The hour-long special, which will air May 14 on BBC America, AMC and Roku Channel, will also be free to stream and distributed globally.

Jenson Button, 2009 Brawn GP champion, will be one of the presenters alongside Naomi Schiff, Sky Sports F1 commentator. Legends like Mansell, Prost and Villeneuve were also present at the recordings.

“This project is pushing the boundaries of motorsport and technology. That’s what F1 is all about.” Button continued: “It will be a special day for sport, entertainment and all the drivers who have raced over the decades. It’s incredible to see this technology and how much we’ve evolved”, concluded the Brit.

See the presentation video below:

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