Round 5 of Season 31 of the PSGL F1 PC Championships got underway at Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps today. The F1 22 esports event has been thrilling so far, with some real surprises so far.
Bari Boroumand took command of the championship after winning in Miami last week. There's still plenty of chance for the likes of and Jarno Opmeer to catch up though, so here's all the highlights from Belgium.
Scintillating Spa
The action began in qualifying, as both the Mercedes of Jarno Opmeer and Samuel Bean were out in Q1. It was the championship leader Boroumand who took pole though, just sixth thousandths ahead of McLaren teammate Lucas Blakely.
In the race, Boroumand got off to the perfect start, followed by Blakeley. Marcel Kiefer's decision to start on the softs paid off straight away, as the Red Bull man made easy work of Blakeley and Boroumand, overtaking both by Les Combes on Lap 2.
Further back, Jake Benham was up to P4 after a superb move into the Bus Stop of Dani Bereznay. Josh Idowu was also climbing on the softs, but was an early recipient of a track extension penalty.
Different strategies create non-stop action
Those on the softs were rapid, but their tyres couldn't last long. Idowu was the first to stop, but Kiefer made it to the end of Lap 5 of 22.
The mediums that Benham was sporting were starting to wear off on Lap 8 and Blakeley was looking to get his P2 back. The Scot went wheel-to-wheel into Les Combes and contact was made. Blakeley came out on top, but it was a hard-fought battle.
Benham pit at the end of Lap 8, leaving Bereznay as the closest challenger to the McLaren's. Blakeley would pit at the end of Lap 10 and would emerge behind Kiefer. The same would happen for Boroumand the following tour, but could Kiefer go to the end of the race, though?
The McLarens on the mediums had closed up to Kiefer on Lap 13. Boroumand and Blakeley powered through up Kemmel, but Boroumand made a critical mistake and spun around and down to P9.
Brendon Leigh was having a quiet race, but had made his way into a legit P2. Likewise Wilson Hughes, who had risen to fourth.
Further back, Boroumand was on a recovery drive and passed Kiefer for the second time into P5, this time making it stick. Bereznay was up to second, but his penalty and a three-second gap put pay to his challenge for first.
In the end, Blakeley showed his quality again and closed the gap at the top to just three points behind Boroumand.
Full Results
Blakeley's drive was an exceptional one, as he won by over five seconds in the end. Leigh was a solid second, with Hughes an impressive P3. Boroumand was up to fourth after Bereznay's penalty dropped him to P5. The Hungarian may be re-instated to P2 post-race if his appeal is successful though.
Kiefer held on for P6, with Benham seventh. Rounding off the points we had Alvaro Carreton, Samuel Bean (who started in last!) and Tomek Poradzisz in tenth.
When's the next round?
Round 6 will take place in a week's time. Mexico's Hermanos Rordiguez Circuit will host next week's events as the challenging Mexican track could produce some surprises.
Belgium marks the halfway point of the season, as there are five rounds remaining in Season 31. The final will be hosted in Sao Paulo for the Brazilian Grand Prix on 7th September.
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
Esports