The Final F1 Esports Recap

This weekend saw the drivers and teams championships decided. The final three rounds saw the championship go to Mexico City, São Paulo and Abu Dhabi to round out the season. The driver's championship saw five different contenders: Otis Lawrence, Frederick Rasmussen, Nico Longuet, Ismael Fahssi and Jarno Opmeer. Could Lawrence keep hold of the championship lead? Who will win prize money for their team? 

(Image credit to Formula 1 on Instagram)

Round 10 Mexico City, Mexico 

Qualifying: Q1 saw the early departures of Jake Benham, Joris Croezen and Julian Klaffënbock. Q2 had its shockers as the driver's championship leader Otis Lawrence was eliminated in position fifteen along with Duncan Hofland, Tamas Gal, teammate Daniel Bereznay and title challenger Jarno Opmeer. Q3 had its surprises when Ulas Ozyildirim of Racing Bulls snatched pole position away from Bari Broumand and birthday boy Ismael Fahssi. István Puki was in fourth from the solo remaining McLaren car of Alfie Butcher, Tom Manley, Nico Longuet, Rubén Pedreño, Frederick Rasmussen and Thomas Ronhaar in tenth. 

Race: Everyone got away cleanly. Eight laps in, Opmeer pitted onto the hard tyres from the medium. After dropping back from the start, Fahssi passed Butcher into turn 2. On lap 10 Butcher, Puki and Manley pitted for fresh rubber to drop down to the back of the field. Broumand and Fahssi worked together to power by Ozyildirim to make it 1-2. Further back, Pedreño sailed by Ozyildirim as he came into the pits following Broumand in and leaving Fahssi out front to lead. 

Bereznay came in 3 laps later. Longuet followed suit. Fahssi and Lawrence came into the pits at the exact same time alongside Rasmussen. 2 laps later Pedreño made his stop. Fahssi breezed past Ozyildirim while behind, Longuet slipped through the hole left by Ozyildirim. Hofland, Croezen, Benham and Klaffenböck were the next set of cars to enter the pits. Fahssi and Broumand swapped positions. Bereznay, Hofland and Ozyildirim were scraping away for a few corners. 

Ronhaar came in for his first stop of the race while Opmeer came in for his second stop. Lawrence went around the outside of Puki. Gal came in to leave Butcher out in the lead. Pedreño got past Broumand and then Puki. Rasmussen passed Longuet. Pedreño and Hofland worked together to pass Lawrence. Opmeer slid down the inside of Broumand's Ferrari and then the Alpine of Lawrence. Ompeer made his way past Ronhaar while out front Fahssi took the lead away from Butcher, who was on 23 lap old tyres. 

The final result saw Fahssi win from Butcher and Pedreño. An excellent drive from Hofland came up from fourteenth to fourth, Opmeer who proved that a two stop was possible, Ronhaar, Lawrence, Puki, Broumand and Rasmussen completing the top ten. 

Update: Lawrence had a 3 second penalty for forcing a driver off the road dropping him down to ninth and promoting Puki and Broumand up one place in the classification at the end of the race. 

Round 11 São Paulo, Brazil

Qualifying: Racing Bulls swapped in Joni Tormälä for Ulas Ozyildirim, Tycho Hardy came in for Julian Klaffënbock at Mercedes, Álvaro Carretón in for Istvan Puki in Williams and Jan Haladej in for Duncan Hofland at Aston Martin. 

The qualifying session started with Tom Manley, Hardy and Gal being eliminated from Q1. The eliminations of Q2 are Haladej in fifteenth, Tormälä in fourteenth, Croezen in thirteenth, Bereznay in twelfth and Pedreño in eleventh. Q3 saw the return of the Welsh Dragon on top. Otis Lawrence dominated qualifying, taking pole from Broumand, Ronhaar, Fahssi, Butcher, Rasmussen, Opmeer, Carretón, Benham and Longuet. 

Race: Everyone got away evenly. 11 laps into the race Broumand stole the lead from Lawrence. Lawrence and Broumand were going back and forth for the lead. Lawrence and Broumand pitted early with Ronhaar left out front. Rasmussen then pitted with Fahssi getting by Ronhaar. Carretón, Fahssi, Benham, Ronhaar, Bereznay, Butcher and Pedreño all pitted for fresh slick tyres. Fahssi got past Carretón and then Rasmussen in the same lap. Opmeer, Tormälä and Gal came in for their stops as Broumand passed Lawrence going into turn 1. 

Lawrence went around the outside of Broumand on the small straight. Longuet, Croezen and Hardy dived into the pits as both Ferraris got by the Alpine of Lawrence however, a bad exit for Broumand gave a chance for Lawrence to come back at him but the door was shut in Lawrence's face. Rasmussen then tried passing the Welshman but was shown the door. Meanwhile, in the middle of the field Butcher and Ronhaar were scraping so hard that it allowed Opmeer to get past the Brit in the papaya car. 

The Spaniard in navy blue got past the red bull of Rasmussen. The two Mclarens, Ronhaar and Opmeer were scrapping away which then resulted in Benham dropping down to p13 and then a slight touch with the back wheel of Manley saw the 20 year old Englishman find himself at the back of the pack. Opmeer passed his teammate Rasmussen and Ronhaar to get fifth. At the back of the grid Manley got past Gal on the last lap. 

The finishing order looked like this: Ismael Fahssi won again from Broumand, Lawrence, Carretón, Opmeer, Rasmussen, Butcher, Croezen, Ronhaar, Longuet. However, Broumand was penalised but Ferrari appealed it and it got rescinded. After the penalty was removed, Broumand was officially classified as second after the in-game penalty had initially dropped him down to tenth in the classifications originally shown in the broadcast.  

Round 12 Abu Dhabi, UAE

Qualifying: Duncan Hofland jumps back in at Aston Martin, Puki comes back in at Williams and Ulas Ozyildirim comes back in, this time for Tom Manley. 

Q1 saw Hardy, Croezen and Hofland being the first three drivers not to advance to Q2. 

Q2 gave us a talking point when two of our five contenders headed for the door in Longuet down in fifteenth and Opmeer in thirteenth along with Gal in fourteenth, Benham in twelfth and Törmãlä in eleventh. 

Q3 saw Denmark's Frederick Rasmussen take pole from Fahssi and Lawrence, Broumand, Ronhaar, Bereznay, Puki, Butcher, Ozyildirim and Pedreño making up the top ten for the final race of the season. 

Race: From the start, everyone got away very quickly. Straight away Fahssi and Lawrence were going at it from corner to corner. Broumand got past Lawrence to shake up the live drivers championship. Gal came in for an early stop. Ismael Fahssi passed Frederick Rasmussen for the lead. Ozyildirim and Pedreño pitted followed by Broumand a lap later. Everywhere you looked, moves were being made. Broumand carved his way through the field after his stop. Butcher and Lawrence pitted. Rasmussen then pitted. 

Puki then put on fresh tyres. Bereznay came in for his pitstop. Gal came in again. 

Fahssi pitted and then Törmälä pitted on lap 18. Longuet and Opmeer pitted together for fresh rubber and clean air to set purple lap times. Longuet, Hofland, Ronhaar and Hardy all pitted. Fahssi overtook both Broumand and Ozyildirim but had to give the place back but then re-overtook Ozyildirim and Broumand. Ozyildirim finally came into the pits. Bereznay crashed out to be the first retirement as Benham passed Broumand for second. 

Puki was the second retirement followed by Rasmussen in the pits. Longuet's pass on Lawrence equaled the points in the driver's championship but with Longuet, Lawrence and Hofland getting past Broumand the driver's championship swung back in Lawrence's favour.

The two things that could deny Lawrence the title was Hofland getting past on fresh tyres and Lawrence's gap to Hofland after being awarded a 1 second penalty and Hofland being awarded an in-game 3 second penalty. After 33 minutes of waiting for the stewards verdict, Lawrence was named drivers champion as Hofland could not get the 3 second in-game penalty removed. Fahssi ended up being second in the standings after the win was not enough to clinch the title away from Lawrence. Opmeer in third secured the team's championship for Oracle Red Bull Racing. 

The final classification of Abu Dhabi was Fahssi winning from Benham and Opmeer, Longuet, Lawrence, Hofland, Butcher, Gál, Törmälä and Ronhaar. 

Everyone at The Rookie Reporters would like to congratulate Otis Lawrence and Oracle Red Bull Racing Team on winning their titles respectively. 

Article Written by Alexandria Kinsella Evans ©️ Alexandria Kinsella Evans 2026