George Russell says he feels a “bit of duty” to provide entertainme🍨nt for Formula 1 fans by competing in online sim races during the coronavirus🎶-related hiatus.

The Williams driver h🎶as taken part in a number of Esports series amid a suspension to the 2020 F1 season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including in three of F1’s four official Virtual Grand 🌺Prix rounds.

Russell secured his best result to date with a second-place finish behind Red Bull’s Alex Albon in a thrilling Virtual GP at Interlagos on Sunday evening💙. Russell, Albon, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris have been the most active online racers during the enforced break.

“I feel a bit of duty as such to provide a bit of entertainment fo♍r the F1 fans,” Russell told the F1 Nation Podcast.

“We’ve got these amazing, loyal fans out ther🉐e who have nothing to support and if we can provide a bit of entertainment with Esports stuff or anything we are doing online with streaming and they appreciate and enjoy it, then that’s g🍸reat.”

And Russell says competing in Esports has altered the relationship with his fellow F1 drivers for the better during a rare move away from their🍰 usual competitive nature as rivals on real-world tracks.

“Th🎃ere are about six of us, myself, Charles, Alex, Lando, Nicholas [Latifi] and Antonio [Giovinazzi], our relationship has grown a little since Espor൩ts has come along, especially myself, Alex and Charles,” he explained.

“We’ve always been friends but we’re talking ever🎐yday at the moment. It’s a different dynamic ꦐfrom being competitors. Me and Alex are best mates so it’s always been different with me and him.

“But for the rest of us, we’re obviously competitors so 🌜it💞’s not normally natural to have this sort of relationship with these guys, but it’s been good.”