Ian Poulter, an F1 race star? For one week, yes!
Ian Poulter loves fast cars. His Ferrari collection is his pride and joy.
“My passion for Ferrari is pretty strong,” said the 44-year-old, who according to a story on carguy.com.au has 14 in his collection.
After he won the Shell Houston Open in 2018, Poulter picked up his first Porsche. We knew Poulter had a need for speed, but who knew he could drive like a pro?
With professional golf tournaments on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic, Poulter found time to show off his skills behind the wheel, competing for the Renault DP World F1 Team in the first Official Formula 1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix and partnering with the team’s test driver, Guanyu Zhou of China. Poulter is a DP World global ambassador and the company recently became Renault F1’s global logistics partner.
Poulter raced remotely from his own home simulator, competing against 18 other racers including current Formula One drivers, reserve drivers, junior members and celebrities from the nine other teams, while giving fans of the sport something to watch (on the F1 YouTube channel) amid the coronavirus shutdown. Ahead of the race, he received tips from Renault drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon.
“I love cars, I love Formula 1, I love everything about motor sport,” he told Sky Sports from his home in Florida. “It should be fun not just for me but viewerships around the world which are craving sports.
“We’d love to get back to normality in sport as soon as possible,” he added. “But if we can do it in a different format it will be quite fun for everyone to see.”
The competitors included F1 stars Lando Norris and Nicholas Latifi as well as former drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Stoffel Vandoorne, and other celebrity drivers such as Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy and One Direction’s Liam Payne.
Poulter held his own, finishing in a very respectable 15th place in the 14-lap race.
And you could say that the Ryder Cup legend lived up to his nickname of The Postman and delivered again on Sunday given that Zhou, Poulter’s Renault teammate, made history by winning the race.