The Debrief: 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship, Event 03 – A podium and 29 points claimed

Aston Martin Aramco Esports Team returned to F1 Sim Racing action with rounds seven, eight, and nine of the World Championship, picking up a podium and multiple points finishes.

The F1 Sim Racing World Championship returned to the Formula One Media and Technology Centre in Biggin Hill for Event Three of the 2026 season, with races taking place at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Circuit Zandvoort and Circuit of the Americas.

Following several weeks of preparation at the AMR Technology Campus, the Aston Martin Aramco Esports Team arrived at the event with extensive practice experience ahead of the crucial triple-header and put it to good use, totting up the points over the course of the three rounds. Read on for how the action unfolded.

Belgium

Changeable weather conditions added a challenge during Qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, with Rubén Pedreño and Jan Haladej behind the wheel for the opening race of the event.

Jan was unfortunately eliminated in Q1. Conditions then shifted as rain arrived for the remainder of Qualifying, and the worsening weather caught Rubén out, leaving him to start the race from P13.

Drivers continued to face extremely challenging conditions during the race. In the opening stages, both Jan and Rubén did well to avoid incidents and gain positions as the field battled through heavy rain in the Belgian forest.

What initially looked set to be a difficult race for the team gradually developed into something far more positive. As conditions began to improve, Jan delivered an impressive recovery drive, carving his way through the field into P12 while battling reigning F1 Sim Racing World Champion Jarno Opmeer.

The rain eased during the middle phase of the race, allowing for a dry finish and an action-packed closing stint. Rubén fought hard throughout the second half of the race, but an unfortunate final-corner penalty meant he was dropped from the points to P13, despite the team's best efforts to appeal.

After starting near the back of the grid, Jan crossed the line in P12.

Netherlands

Thursday's double-header began with the Dutch Grand Prix, where dry conditions provided a welcome contrast after the wet and unpredictable running at Spa-Francorchamps.

Duncan Hofland returned to the cockpit after sitting out the opening race, taking to the track alongside Rubén.

Both Aston Martin Aramco Esports drivers progressed safely through Q1, with Duncan securing P14 for his home race. Meanwhile, Rubén produced an excellent lap on his single Q2 run, comfortably advancing into Q3 and allowing him to save an additional set of Soft tyres for the final session. He continued his impressive one-lap form, delivering a standout performance in Q3 to qualify third, putting himself in a strong position heading into the race.

Starting on the Medium compound, Rubén held P3 through the opening stages of the race as the field settled into a tightly-packed train around Zandvoort. With multiple strategies unfolding across the grid, the team elected to split approaches between its two drivers.

Duncan committed to a long opening stint on the Hard tyre, extending until Lap 22 before switching to Mediums. Racing at his home event, the Dutchman produced several impressive overtakes around the tight and technical Zandvoort circuit, making significant progress through the field after his stop. It marked a strong recovery drive following a difficult Qualifying session and highlighted the effectiveness of the team's strategy execution.

Rubén absorbed sustained pressure while remaining firmly in podium contention throughout the race. He ultimately crossed the line in P3, securing his second podium finish in Aston Martin Aramco Esports colours.

It was another excellent result for the team, with the hard work put in at the AMR Technology Campus continuing to pay dividends.

United States

Wet conditions returned for Q1 in Austin, resulting in another challenging Qualifying for the field. However, the rain eased towards the end, setting up a tense one-lap Soft-tyre shootout on a slippery and rapidly improving circuit.

Duncan successfully navigated the difficult conditions to progress through a tightly-contested session. Rubén was caught out in the closing moments, qualifying P16.

Duncan narrowly missed out on a place in Q3 by an extremely small margin, concluding P11.

In the race, Duncan started on the Hard tyre and made an excellent start, climbing to P7 during the opening stages. He committed to a long first stint before pitting on Lap 17 for fresh Mediums. Then, with strong pace in the closing stages, Duncan carved his way through the midfield with several impressive overtakes to secure an excellent P4 finish following a composed and competitive drive.

Rubén also started on the Hard tyre, extending his opening stint until Lap 21. Unfortunately, the strategy did not fully come together and he ultimately finished P12. Despite missing out on points, he still gained four positions from his starting position.

Overall, Event Three marked a much stronger round for Aston Martin Aramco Esports, with a podium finish and multiple points-scoring results helping the team climb back up the standings.

#26 | Duncan Hofland

"Two big results for us in Event Three, and I'm very happy to secure P4 in the final race of the event. I felt quite confident heading into COTA, so it was great to convert that into a strong result.

"I'm also really proud of Rubén for securing P3 at Zandvoort, and overall, we can be happy with the performance of the team.

"It was unfortunate for Jan to miss out, but we know he'll come back stronger at the next event. We've built some good momentum now, and the goal is to keep pushing for even more points in the final round ."

#88 | Jan Haladej

"In Spa, I think the pace was definitely there in Qualifying to get out of Q1 and even progress through Q2. I made a big mistake after Les Combes. I clipped the kerb and just started skating across it. It's frustrating to make such a costly mistake in Qualifying.

"From there, it became a case of damage limitation in the race. I felt the pace was very strong in both the wet and dry conditions. I felt fast, gained positions and kept things clean throughout.

"In the end, P12 was probably the maximum we could achieve from where we started. There are still positives to take away, but we need to make sure we avoid mistakes in Qualifying so we can fully capitalise moving forward ."

#93 | Rubén Pedreño

"It was a tricky Qualifying session in Belgium. The timing just didn't really come together in the difficult wet conditions. Missing out on the points was disappointing, but we knew the pace was there heading into the next day.

"It was great to secure my second podium in green at Zandvoort. The hard work really paid off, and we had strong pace throughout what was a really exciting race.

"COTA didn't quite go our way, but I was happy to make up positions, and I'm really proud of Duncan for his drive to P4.

"Overall, it's been a much stronger event for us as a team, and I'm excited to see what we can do heading into Event Four."

Shanaka Clay | Reserve driver

"What a turnaround it's been after a difficult previous event. Scoring 29 points as a team is a really strong result. Rubén delivered great points with the podium at Zandvoort, and Duncan's recovery drive from P11 to P4 at COTA was fantastic.

"I think the preparation heading into this event was excellent. The whole team has been working incredibly hard – the development drivers, engineers and full-time drivers have all pulled together to become more cohesive and competitive.

"We've put ourselves back into the fight sitting P7 in the standings, and we're aiming for even more heading into the final event of the season. The pace looks strong, confidence is high, and hopefully we can finish the championship on a positive note."

Up next

The team now carries valuable momentum into the final event of the 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship, which takes place on 27-28 May, with races at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Autódromo José Carlos Pace, and Yas Marina Circuit.