F1 Esports: Both titles come down to final race at Interlagos

Another dramatic evening of F1 Esports action saw wild overtakes, sensational battles, and left everything up to the final race of the season.

Both the Drivers' and Teams' Championship will be decided in the final race of the season at the amazing Interlagos circuit. What more could racing fans ask for!

Simple in Suzuka

The day started with Frederik Rasmussen, the closest rival to Jarno Opmeer's title challenge, taking pole at both Japan and Mexico.

In Suzuka he lost the lead into turn 1 to former-teammate Nicolas Longuet, but that turned out to be a blessing. Longuet's pace was impressive, but with the Renault punching a hole in the air for Rasmussen and Racing Point's Daniele Haddad, the title contender could save his ERS and pick his moment to pounce.

Meanwhile Opmeer, after a relatively poor qualifying, had to remain patient in the pack. As ever, he chose to go a bit longer in his first stint, lining himself up for an attacking final few laps.

On fresh soft tyres Jarno was a rocket around Suzuka and got himself past Marcel Kiefer, who fell out of title contention.

Still, it was Rasmussen who claimed the chequered flag in Japan, and with Longuet and Haddad also on the podium he took a huge chunk out of Opmeer's lead, reducing the deficit to just six points.

Opmeer strikes back

Mexico saw the two title contenders start on the front row of the grid. With a long blast down to the first corner it was always likely there would be an incident. It was 2019 champion David Tonizza, starting P3, who got sandwiched between the Red Bull and Alfa as he tried to split them.

The FDA Hublot drivers bad luck continued as he spun from a promising position and out of the race.

This time though, it was Rasmussen deploying battery to fend off attacks down the long straight, and when he pitted early and came out in traffic he picked up some wing damage picking his way through the field.

This, combined with fresher tyres and more ERS, allowed Opmeer and eventually Brendon Leigh to cruise past Rasmussen.

Chaotic midfield

This was Mexico's first appearance on the F1 Esports calendar and we hope it remains for 2021!

Thanks to the long pit straight and double dose of DRS, the field remained tightly bunched through the fast sweeps of the middle sector and tight stadium section.

With a number of drivers picking up wing damage in lap 1 trains were quickly forming, and drivers were desperate to get through and create a gap.

We saw a number of hopeful pass attempts into turn 12 that resulted in disaster and some wild battles that raged on.

Interlagos decider

F1 fans love a title decider, especially at Interlagos. The sweeping curves and steep rise of the back straight, along with the history of the circuit, always makes for a magical race.

Opmeer goes into the race 16 points clear of Rasmussen. A 5th place would wrap up the title for Opmeer even if Rasmussen claimed the win & fastest lap. That's thanks to Opmeer having the edge in 3rd-place finishes.

The Alfa driver will be hoping for more than that though. In the Teams' Championship Red Bull have a big edge, and Alfa will need a 1-2 finish to have any chance of taking the Teams' title.

Watch the F1 Esports final

The last race of the season will take place on 17 December.

You can watch every moment live from 7:30pm GMT on Formula 1's official Facebook, Twitch, and YouTube channels.

Qualifying will take place at 3:30pm GMT and will be shown on the F1 Twitch channel.