LONDON (REUTERS, AFP) - McLaren Formula One driver Lando Norris will have to shave his head after raising more than US$10,000 (S$14,250) from e-sports racing in the fight against coronavirus.
The 20-year-old Briton, who has 1.3 million followers on Instagram and is a prolific gamer, made the pledge before taking part in a charity event on live streaming platform Twitch at the weekend.
The Formula One website said Norris' stream was watched by more than 136,000 unique viewers as he played on F1 2019, Rocket League and iRacing.
"Thanks to all my viewers for raising over $12,000 by the end of the night for #TwitchStreamAid and the fight against Covid-19! I do have to cut all my hair off now though...," he said on Twitter.
McLaren teammate Carlos Sainz, who enjoys a jokey relationship with Norris, indicated he was looking forward to that: "Oh boy I'm ready," said the Spaniard.
Formula One has yet to start its season, with two races cancelled and six more postponed so far and no prospect of getting underway until the European summer at the earliest due to the pandemic.
In the absence of any real racing, various e-sports series have offered alternatives for fans craving some form of live action.
Norris, an F1 rookie last year, has long been involved in virtual racing and has teamed up with Red Bull's Max Verstappen, while Williams Canadian rookie Nicholas Latifi has also emerged as an online talent.
Meanwhile, Renault driver Esteban Ocon is also using the break to hone his driving skill to get ready for the season.
Hunkered down with his parents in Normandy, the Frenchman is racking up the hours on a F1 virtual simulator.
The 23-year-old is preparing for his first campaign with Renault after spending last year as a Mercedes reserve driver following a successful two-season stint racing for Force India.
"My days are full and I behave as if I was going to race next week," the Frenchman told AFP. "I do a lot of racing on the simulator, and a great deal of sport.
"Nobody knows when the season will start, and as we have all the time we need now it's easy to keep in top shape."
"It will restart when it restarts, once things are safe," Ocon said. "The winter break should have been over a long time ago, and with everything that's going on, we're glued to the news every evening, we see the figures rising and the tough times the world is going through.
"We just hope this will soon be over."
France has been under lockdown since March 17, with Ocon spending his time on a simulator also being used by Norris and Verstappen.
"It keeps you up to speed facing off with good drivers. It keeps your reflexes primed," he said. "I'm hoping it will give me an edge, that when we get back I'll be more ready. A real car, and real sport is always better than a simulator, but they are getting closer to the real thing these days.
"I train on Grand Tourismo, it's a real leap forwards."
The earliest the F1 season could now get underway is at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, scheduled for June 14.
Ocon, who finished a career-best eighth in the 2017 drivers' world championship, said his competitive spirit burns bright even in virtual racing.
"I race to win, not for fifth or sixth place, but to win.
"I speak to the team every day, to see how everyone is and to get the lowdown from the engineers, there's the marketing people too.
"There's a lot going on despite the confinement."
