The Debrief: 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship, Event 04 – Finishing the season on a high

Aston Martin Aramco Esports concluded the 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship at the final event of the season with a campaign-best return of 34 points, building on the strong momentum created by a 29-point haul in Event 3.

During the two-week break between events, the team continued preparations at the AMR Technology Campus, putting in extensive work behind the scenes to maximise performance heading into the final triple-header of the year.

The event began on Wednesday at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, before concluding with a double-header across São Paulo and Abu Dhabi.

Mexico City

Both drivers progressed safely through Q1 in Qualifying. Duncan Hofland's session came to an end in Q2, with the Dutchman securing P14 on the grid.

Rubén Pedreño, meanwhile, continued his impressive one-lap form from throughout the season, advancing into another Q3 session. The Spaniard once again delivered when it mattered, qualifying P8 for the race.

In the race, both Rubén and Duncan gained positions on an exceptional opening lap in Mexico City, immediately putting themselves in contention.

The pair then settled into the race well, committing to a one-stop strategy as they looked to maximise the opening Hard tyre stint. Rubén made several strong overtakes before his stop, with the Spaniard spending part of the middle phase of the race leading the field. Duncan remained close behind, keeping himself firmly in the fight.

Following the pit stops, both drivers had work to do on fresh Medium tyres, and delivered. With excellent pace in the closing stages, Rubén and Duncan made significant progress through the field, executing a strategy perfectly called by team engineers Axel Benedetto and Tijs Rook.

Rubén secured his third podium finish of the season, while Duncan equalled his best result in F1 Sim Racing with an impressive P4.

The result delivered a 27-point haul for Aston Martin Aramco Esports, the team's biggest single-race points total of the season.

São Paulo

Jan Haladej returned to the cockpit in Interlagos, stepping in for Duncan for his final appearance of the season.

The Czech driver progressed through to Q2 alongside teammate Rubén, with both drivers advancing safely through the opening stage of Qualifying.

In an incredibly tight session, both narrowly missed out on Q3. Rubén secured P11 on the grid, while Jan qualified P15 for the race.

Both drivers made clean starts at Interlagos and settled into the race well, keeping out of trouble during an opening stint on the Hard tyres.

Rubén briefly gained positions through strategy as the race developed, while Jan showed strong pace in the closing stages and continued to push forward.

Compared to the battles at the front of the field, it was a relatively measured race for the team. However, Rubén remained involved in a fiercely contested midfield battle in the final laps as the championship fight intensified.

The team maximised the opportunities available, with Rubén crossing the line in P11, but dropping to P13 after a post-race penalty. Jan finished in P14.

Abu Dhabi

Qualifying didn't go to plan for Duncan in Abu Dhabi, with the Dutchman finishing 16th and narrowly missing out on Q2 by the smallest of margins. Rubén once again progressed through to the final Qualifying session, continuing his impressive run of single-lap form. He didn't quite get the result he had been hoping for, though, as he lined up 10th on the grid.

The team opted for split strategies for the season finale at Yas Marina following a challenging Qualifying session.

Rubén pitted early after a short opening stint on the Medium tyres, committing to an aggressive two-stop strategy. Duncan, meanwhile, extended his first stint on the Hard compound until Lap 19 as the team looked to maximise every opportunity in the final race of the season.

Rubén returned to the pits for a second stop as the team committed fully to the strategy, while Duncan continued to make progress through the field. The closing stages at Yas Marina were as chaotic as expected, with battles throughout the grid and uncertainty over both the final race classification and the championship outcome.

Through the chaos, Aston Martin Aramco Esports remained composed and executed well to bring both cars home. Duncan delivered another strong recovery drive to finish P8 after starting P16 on the grid, with a penalty denying him an even higher finish, while Rubén crossed the line outside the points. However, after an array of penalties for other drivers, Rubén actually scored three points after a P9 finish combined with recording the fastest lap.

It capped off another valuable event for the team and a season filled with both standout moments and important lessons. The team will now take that experience, from the highs and the tougher moments, into the off-season as preparations begin for the next chapter.

From everyone at Aston Martin Aramco Esports, congratulations also go to former driver Otis Lawrence on winning the F1 Sim Racing World Championship.

#26 | Duncan Hofland

"Overall, it was a really solid event for me personally. I was happy with the performance in Mexico, especially in the race. Rubén and I worked really well together to secure P3 and P4, and we did a good job keeping the cars behind us. It was a great result for the team.

"In Abu Dhabi, we knew there was always going to be some chaos, but I think we made the right calls strategically and did a strong job managing the race. Unfortunately, the penalty cost me a couple of positions, but to still finish P8 after starting P16 was a positive.

"Looking back on the season, it didn't start the way we wanted, but scoring points in every race across Event 3 and Event 4 was a big step forward. I'm really proud of the team and everything we achieved together after a difficult first half of the season.

"There's been a lot of hard work behind the scenes, and I'm looking forward to celebrating that with everyone before we start focusing on next season."

#88 | Jan Haladej

"I put together a decent lap in Q1 and managed to progress, but Q2 was a really messy run. I lost around a tenth and a half across two corners, so it wasn't ideal. I felt the pace was there to reach Q3, which made it frustrating to miss out.

"In the race, we committed to an aggressive overcut strategy, but unfortunately it didn't quite come together. Overtaking was really difficult in the second stint, and the opening run on the Hard tyres wasn't ideal either as I didn't manage them quite how I wanted to.

"Overall, though, it's been a really valuable season with Aston Martin Aramco Esports and I've learned a lot. Hopefully we can take that experience forward and use it to make an even bigger push next season."

#93 | Rubén Pedreño

"We've just wrapped up the final event of the season and, overall, it was a really positive one for us. Getting the podium in the first race was a great way to start, and then in Brazil I made a mistake in Qualifying, but we still tried to maximise everything we could from the race.

"The final race in Abu Dhabi was pretty chaotic. We took a risk with the strategy, but unfortunately it didn't quite pay off. We also weren't fully happy with Qualifying after having to make some setup changes, but we still managed to get the car into Q3, which was a positive.

"Looking back on the season as a whole, I'm really happy. Three podiums and a place inside the top 10 in the drivers' standings is something I'm really proud of.

"Being able to fight with the top drivers throughout the year has given me a lot of confidence and motivation heading into next season. I can't wait for it to come around and to be back racing in green again. See you next season."