The 2026 Sim Racing World Championship’s final event kicked off on Wednesday as the best Esports drivers raced hard for both championships during Event 4’s Round 10 around the virtual Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez at the F1 Media and Technology Centre in Biggin Hill in the UK.
It was another race filled with daring last-lap overtakes, conflicting strategies, and plenty of drama – with Ferrari’s Ismael Fahssi coming out on top after a surprising Qualifying left us with a mixed-up grid, giving us another Championship twist before the final two rounds later today.
Here is a recap of Wednesday’s action…
Mexico – Qualifying
It was another tight Qualifying session around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, with McLaren’s Jake Benham suffering an early Q1 exit by just one thousandth of a second. Ulas Ozyildirim, polesitter from Round 7 in Belgium, had a scare late in the first session, clipping the kerbs hard through the esses and scraping through in P15 – a nervy start to the session.
However, the bigger shock came in Q2 when Championship leader Otis Lawrence failed to set a valid lap and ended up down in 15th, leaving him needing a strong recovery drive in the race. Elsewhere, reigning champion Jarno Opmeer was another high-profile casualty, dropping out in P11, along with Dani Bereznay, Tamas Gal and Duncan Hofland.
Birthday boy Fahssi set an early benchmark with his banker lap, closely followed by Bari Broumand as it looked like we were set for a Ferrari one-two. However, the Racing Bulls had other ideas, as Ozyildirim and Tom Manley put in cracking laps, with the Turkish driver coming out on top for another pole position.
The top five were covered by just a tenth, with Broumand, Fahssi, Istvan Puki and Alfie Butcher just behind Ozyildirim after a breathless Qualifying session.
Mexico – Race
Polesitter Ozyildirim and second-placed Broumand were always set for a fierce battle off the line – the latter desperate for a win after a few recent P2 finishes – but the Turkish driver impressively held onto the lead despite the long run to Turn 1. Further back, Lawrence wasted no time passing title rival Frederik Rasmussen, jumping to P12 by the end of Lap 1.
Opmeer blinked first, pitting from the hard compound on Lap 7, but it was drama at the front, as while the Ferrari duo of Broumand and Fahssi pulled off a stunning double overtake on Ozyildirim through sector one. Fahssi’s hard tyres finally came alive, and as most of the field pitted, the Ferrari man was in clean air at the front.
Once the hard tyre runners pitted on Lap 22, we had a straight sprint to the flag. Fahssi and Lawrence carved through the field together, reaching P2 and P3 with 10 laps to go – but Butcher held firm ahead of them despite his 16-lap-old hards.
The tension was building, and the final lap delivered fireworks. Fahssi pounced to take the lead with a late move at Turn 1, getting the elbows out to fight past Butcher, while the Aston Martin duo of Ruben Pedreno and Hofland did their best to follow Fahssi through, but the McLaren held on. Opmeer – on an audacious two-stopper after starting P11 – was absolutely flying through the field to challenge for the podium, but stopped short at P5.
Fahssi took the chequered flag for his second win of the season – a perfect birthday present for the Spaniard – with Butcher a brilliant second on worn hards, and Ruben Pedreno completing a worthy podium in third. Lawrence struggled on his mediums, dropping back in the latter stages, but P9 was a good effort after his difficult Qualifying session.
Standings
Lawrence is still out in front in Drivers’ Championship after Mexico, finishing ahead of Rasmussen to lead him and Fahssi by 26 points. Fahssi’s epic win launches him into contention, and with it all to play for in Rounds 11 and 12 on Thursday – bigger gaps have been closed in the past…
A poor showing from the Alpine team has opened the door for Red Bull in what looks like a two-horse race for the 2026 Constructors’ Championship. Alpine lead Red Bull by just five points,198 to 193, while Ferrari leapt up the standings to a comfortable P3, with Williams and Racing Bulls completing the top five.
