The 2026 Sim Racing World Championship concluded on Thursday after Round 11 and 12 around Interlagos and the Yas Marina Circuit, with the best Esports drivers out there fighting right to the line for glory at the F1 Media and Technology Centre in Biggin Hill.
Both races were filled with late drama, bold strategy, and plenty of shocks, but it was Alpine’s 18-year-old Otis Lawrence who claimed his first Sim Racing World Championship in Abu Dhabi ahead of Ismael Fahssi in a season finale that went down to the wire.
Here is a recap of the final sessions of the season…
Round 11 – Brazil
At a circuit where no driver has ever tasted victory twice, Qualifying at Interlagos was always going to be decided by fine margins. After an epic race to finish on the podium in Mexico, Ruben Pedreno missed out on the top 10 shootout by just three hundredths of a second, while Alpine’s Daniel Bereznay also suffered a Q2 exit – a blow to Alpine’s Constructors’ Championship ambitions.
Q3 was a fascinating battle for pole, with Mercedes’ Thomas Ronhaar heading out early on to set the initial benchmark, only to be eclipsed by Championship leader Otis Lawrence by a tenth. Ronhaar responded on his second run to take provisional pole, but Lawrence had the final say, squeezing another few hundredths out of the lap to take P1, despite Bari Broumand’s best efforts.
In the end, the top six were covered by less than a tenth – with Ronhaar settling for third, followed by Fahssi, Alfie Butcher and the Red Bulls of Fredrick Rasmussen and Jarno Opmeer.
A clean getaway from polesitter Lawrence set the tone, with Rasmussen the only driver to gain an early position after passing Butcher off the line. The opening laps were decidedly calmer than Round 10 in Mexico, but Ferrari’s Broumand blinked first, making his move at Turn 1 on Lap 11. Welshman Lawrence lost the lead, but retook it a lap later, unwilling to sit in dirty air on his medium tyres.
But it was the pit stops that changed everything. Lawrence and Broumand dived into the pits together, releasing the hard runners Ronhaar and Fahssi into clean air at the front – but the real drama was behind them. Broumand immediately overtook the Alpine and set about holding him in service of his team mate, slowing down dramatically in the middle sector.
The pair were losing lots of time to the leaders in front, so much so that Rasmussen joined the squabble on Lap 20 – and by the time Fahssi and Ronhaar made their stops for fresh medium tyres, the pair took no time at all to close up to back of the fighting trio.
What followed was heart-in-mouth for the spectators and the drivers alike. Fahssi swept past Rasmussen before combining with his team mate in a perfectly choreographed double move on the Championship leader at Turn 1. This was a nightmare scenario for Lawrence, as he could only watch Fahssi disappear up the road while he was trapped behind the team player Broumand. It was a defensive masterclass from the Iranian, who made his Ferrari as wide as possible to hold the following train at bay for the final 10 laps.
Teamwork made the dream work for Ferrari as Fahssi took his second consecutive win, with Broumand holding off the pack to secure a stunning Scuderia one-two.
Championship leader Lawrence kept a cool head to cross the line in P3 – moving closer to the title in Abu Dhabi thanks to his 17-point advantage, but unable to seal it at Interlagos.
Round 12 – Abu Dhabi
As ever, the Yas Marina Circuit provided the perfect finale setting, but it was still a Qualifying to forget for some. Jarno Opmeer, already enduring a difficult run of Qualifying form, scraped through Q1 before bowing out in Q2 – finishing P13 amidst a very tight Constructors’ fight between Ferrari, Red Bull and Alpine.
In Q3, it was a commanding and composed performance from Opmeer’s team mate Rasmussen, who set the benchmark on his banker lap and only briefly relinquished it – holding on by just one thousandth of a second over a charging Fahssi.
The Ferrari man was pleased to be ahead of title rival Lawrence in third, with his team mate Broumand in contention a place further back. Ronhaar completed the top five, but it was Rasmussen who headed into the season finale as the polesitter for the fourth time this season…
From Lap 1 alone, it was clear this season finale was going to see fireworks on the track. Starting P2 and P3, title contenders Fahssi and Lawrence were already side by side for a majority of the opening lap – Fahssi just edging ahead at Turn 16 to land the first blow in the fight.
Strategy was crucial yet again, and with Fahssi on hard tyres but ahead of Lawrence and Broumand on mediums, things were looking good for the Spaniard. They looked even better when Broumand got ahead of the Welshman on Lap 2 – the Iranian continuing to be the best team mate Fahssi could ask for.
Broumand was first into the pits, switching his tyres to cover the undercut threat, before Lawrence and Butcher dived in on Lap 11 – Lawrence emerging around five seconds and six places behind Broumand.
Polesitter Rasmussen followed shortly after, leaving Fahssi out front alone until Lap 17, when he finally pitted from the lead and emerged with fresh mediums and a mountain to climb. He wasted no time – Fahssi carved his way through the field, and before long, he was looming in Lawrence’s mirrors, before sweeping past into Turn 9 when late on the brakes.
With five laps to go, the race – and the title fight – exploded. Lawrence, focused on passing Ulas Ozyildirim rather than defending his rear, left the door open for Jake Benham to sweep through, and Opmeer lined up right behind him. Then, within the same split second, Nicolas Longuet passed Lawrence to take P5 and Opmeer passed Broumand for P3.
Broumand’s tyres had fallen off a cliff, and Lawrence capitalised to move back up a place, only to be handed a one-second penalty for denying racing room. Broumand’s tyres were worn out as he tumbled down the order, but Fahssi had done all he could, crossing the line first for his third consecutive win, followed by Benham, Opmeer, Longuet – and crucially, Lawrence in P5…
But it was too soon for anyone to celebrate. With the championship separated by a handful of points, the drivers waited for the stewards and the tension in the room rose to new heights.
When it was confirmed that Lawrence had finished P5, the Welshman and his team went crazy, as he became the youngest ever F1 Sim Racing World Champion, winning the title by just two points after a nail-biting end to a season full of twists and turns, right until the very last lap.
Standings
Fahssi’s fantastic end to the season was a comeback for the ages, but he came just short of a remarkable title, finishing on 154 points to Lawrence’s 156.
Opmeer’s late surge also saw him pip team-mate Rasmussen to third in the standings, 114 to 113.
The 18-year-old was visibly overwhelmed after holding on for the Championship, but we have plenty more to come from the youngster in the world of Sim Racing.
After a season finale where all three of the top constructors led the standings at some point during those frantic final laps, Red Bull celebrated a third consecutive Constructors’ title.
Their total of 227 points was enough to edge out Alpine, who were just three points further back, while Ferrari weren’t far away on 212. It has certainly been a crazy season, with all the teams deserving a well-earned rest. Same again next year?
