The Debrief: 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship, Event 02 – Valuable lessons and learnings

Aston Martin Aramco Esports Team returned to F1 Sim Racing action at Formula One Management's headquarters in Biggin Hill for Event Two of the 2026 season.

In three Grands Prix across two days, our team made important learnings while racing in Saudi Arabia, Spain and Great Britain. The team were also supported by Aston Martin Aramco's third driver, Jak Crawford, throughout the two-day event.

Saudi Arabia

During Qualifying, Rubén Pedreño confidently progressed through the opening stages. After a competitive Q2 performance, he reached Q3 and qualified P10, putting himself in a solid position for the race under the lights.

Duncan Hofland was unfortunately unable to set a representative lap around Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

In the race, Rubén opted for the Medium tyre while Duncan started on Hards. Both drivers made clean starts. After starting from the back of the grid, Duncan opted for an alternate strategy. He was able to gain positions on the opening lap and went on to complete the longest Hard stint out of everyone.

Despite both drivers maintaining a clean race, the Qualifying setback proved costly. Rubén crossed the line in P12, with Duncan just behind in P13.

Spain

For Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Jan Haladej stepped behind the wheel alongside Rubén. Both drivers progressed to Q2, where Jan secured P13, and Rubén continued his strong Qualifying form by advancing to Q3 for the second time in the event and securing P7.

With both drivers on the Hard tyre, Jan initially dropped to the back but remained composed, managing his tyres effectively to create a strong strategic offset. He worked hard to get closer to the points positions, but a final-lap incident ended his chances of scoring.

Meanwhile, intense midfield battles made for an action-packed race for Rubén, but he unfortunately suffered a late spin while fighting for points and ultimately finished P13.

Great Britain

Duncan returned to the car for the British Grand Prix, but he faced a challenging session and exited Qualifying in the first segment.

Demonstrating consistent one-lap pace, Rubén secured another Q3 appearance.

The race took place under difficult wet conditions. Duncan made an excellent start, climbing from P18 to P11 on the opening lap, but unfortunately Rubén lost ground early into the Grand Prix after getting caught in congestion.

The race became a test of consistency and control as changing conditions led to a high level of attrition across the field. Ultimately, Duncan crossed the line in P11, while Rubén finished P17.

While the results did not fully reflect the team's potential, Event Two provided valuable lessons. Aston Martin Aramco Esports Team will look to regroup and build on these learnings ahead of the final two events of the 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship.

#26 | Duncan Hofland

"Unfortunately, I invalidated both Qualifying runs in Jeddah, which knocked me out of Q1. I managed to make some moves after going long, but it wasn't enough for points.

"In Silverstone, I made a mistake and bottomed out on the kerb and was out in Q1 again. I made a really good start in the wet, climbing to P11, but I couldn't put any pressure on the guys in front as we had to save tyres to get to the end of the race.

"We'll go again in a couple of weeks, and I'm looking forward to the three tracks at the next event."

#88 | Jan Haladej

"Q1 in Barcelona wasn't ideal, but we made it through. I was so close to getting through into Q3, just missing out by a few hundredths. There are some positives to take away, as I think the pace was decent, and it was in the prep too. I'm getting more experience every time I'm in the rig.

"I just made a mistake on Lap One; I went three-wide and got pushed off into the grass. I need to make sure not to do that again. The overcut strategy was great, and in the end, we were fighting for a top-10 position until some unfortunate circumstances. A little tap sent me into the wall. I think the pace was good overall, and there are some positives. We can build on what we learned overall moving forward."

Up next

Event Three of the season with three more rounds takes place on 13-14 May, with races at Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, Circuit Zandvoort and Circuit of the Americas.