F1 Sim Racing 2023 World Championship Event 2 recap

The first round of the F1 Sim Racing 2023 World Championship took place last November. What was supposed to be a two-race event became a single round, won by Thomas Ronhaar for Kick Sauber, after the organizers canceled the first race.

On April 2, F1 Sim Racing, formerly branded as F1 Esports, released the schedule for the second event. A three-day event was planned for April 10-12 for six races, two per day, with qualifying for the two races to be held in the morning.

Learn more about all six races that took place last week in the F1 Sim Racing 2023 World Championship.

Round 2 – Jeddah

The second championship race kicked off at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix venue, for a 25-lap night race (half the distance of F1).

Frederik Rasmussen of Red Bull qualified on pole position, followed by Bari Broumand of Ferrari and Alfie Butcher of Haas. The top three made an ideal start on the soft tires.

Williams Esports driver Ismael Fahssi lost places at the start because he opted for the medium tires. He managed to regain the third position once his medium tires switched on.

On lap nine, the top three made pit stops for medium tires, but Broumand and Butcher made contact on pit entry. Both cars sustained damage that compromised their races.

Ronhaar pulled off some impressive overtakes as he made his way to the front from sixth on the grid.

On the last lap, locked into a battle with Fahssi and McLaren’s Lucas Blakeley, Ronhaar went for a gap that barely existed between the inside wall and the McLaren. He made the move stick for the second position, but Rasmussen was five seconds ahead.

The top five were Rasmussen, Ronhaar, Fahssi, Blakeley, and Jake Benham of Mercedes. Ronhaar maintained his Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship lead for Kick through the first two races.

Round 3 – Spielberg

With the possibility of rain during the 36-lap race at the Red Bull Ring, home of the Austrian Grand Prix, Ronhaar looked to maintain his championship lead from pole.

Broumand and Ronhaar traded the lead of the race for 14 laps until Blakeley disconnected from the game. The organizers decided to neutralize the race with a Virtual Safety Car, which is uncommon for F1 Sim Racing.

This meant that some drivers who already pitted were now at a disadvantage and that Blakeley would get a chance to rejoin the session. One driver who felt his strategy was ruined by this VSC was Mercedes’s former champion Jarno Opmeer.

The ‘Flying Dutchman’ was so upset that he left his rig, which caused the AI to take over his car and lead to a speeding during VSC penalty. He did not finish Round 3.

Fahssi, Butcher, Broumand and others took the opportunity to pit.

Rain began to fall on the final lap. Butcher led the race since his battle for first after the VSC ended on lap 16. Ronhaar made some impressive overtakes on Fahssi and Benham to reclaim the positions lost during the VSC, but it was only good enough for second place.

The top five were Butcher, Ronhaar, Fahssi, Benham, and Broumand. Ronhaar maintained his Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship lead for Kick through three races.

After the race, Opmeer was frustrated with the VSC decision, and he claimed that it ruined the race strategy of five other drivers.

“I’m not sure who was in charge of this decision, but I think that person should never be allowed near any sports or Esports events again,” he said.

Round 4 – Silverstone

Opmeer qualified on pole position for Mercedes, but due to a three-place grid penalty, started at the 26-lap race at Silverstone (British Grand Prix) in fourth position.

Fahssi quickly passed Opmeer for fourth because the Williams driver started on softs, as did the top three drivers. Opmeer started on the alternative medium tires.

Mercedes driver Daniel Bereznay traded the lead with Blakeley, which allowed them to conserve tires and battery power.

By lap 10, everyone ahead of Opmeer had pitted, and he stayed out intending to nurse the medium tires deep into the first stint.

Opmeer pitted for soft tires on lap 15, which handed the lead to his teammate. Nicolas Longuet of Ferrari then took the lead from Bereznay one lap later.

Opmeer made his way to the front with some fantastic overtakes, the most notable being his double overtake on Bereznay and Longuet for the win.

The top five were Opmeer, Longuet, Bereznay, Fahssi, and Kick’s Brendon Leigh.

Championship leader Ronhaar only gained four points, which promoted Mercedes to the lead of the Constructors’ Championship.