Round 6 of Season 31 of the PSGL F1 PC Championships got underway at Mexico's Hermanos Rodriguez Circuit today. The F1 22 esports event has been thrilling so far, with just one point splitting the top two in the standings.
Lucas Blakeley closed the gap to McLaren teammate Bari Boroumand to just a single point last time out at Spa. Who would come out on top this weekend? Let's find out!
Mexico madness
As ever in the PSGL F1 PC split, qualifying was extremely close. At the front though, it was business as usual, with the papaya McLarens occupying the front row in Q1.
In Q2, the McLarens had matching times to the thousandth of a second. They did the same thing again in Q3 as well. In the end though, Fredi Rasmussen got pole ahead of Boroumand. Blakely qualified in P5.
For the race, Rasmussen held onto P1 despite Boroumand's challenge around the outside. Jarno Opmeer was back in form after a slow start to the season. The Dutchman started on the mediums and used these to good effect, taking Tomek Poradzisz for P3 on Lap 5 of 36.
At the front, Boroumand used the DRS to good effect to take the lead into Turn 1 on the same tour.
Blakeley disconnects!
Things went from bad to worse Blakeley, as the Scot disconnected from the session. He managed to rejoin, but his slower ghost car meant he dropped from fifth to fifteenth by Lap seven.
The stops began on Lap 16, with the hard runners surprisingly coming in first. Opmeer and Brendon Leigh were the first of the frontrunners to stop at the end of Lap 17.
Leigh even got past Opmeer the following lap, an excellent move to get onto the provisional podium. Boroumand lost the net lead through the stops, but retook it with another Turn 1 move.
Blakeley was making great progress on his recovery drive, up to P10 and into the points on Lap 21. On Lap 28, Blakeley was up to P6, almost as high as he was before the disconnection.
On Lap 31, Leigh and Poradzisz had a ding-dong battle through the first sector. Somehow, they didn't swap places, but they dropped several seconds behind P2, as it became a two-horse race.
Safety Car!
A late safety car threw the race into chaos, as the gaps closed up. Blakely stopped for soft tyres and was immediately up to P7 thanks to a late-braking move into Turn 1.
Another diving move into the stadium section set him up for a P5 berth on the final lap. At the front, Boroumand held on for another win ahead of Rasmussen.
Full Results
Boroumand produced an excellent performance to win, making up for his spin last week. Rasmussen was an impressive P2, with Leigh rounding off the podium.
Opmeer was a solid P4, with Blakeley's fantastic recovery drive meaning he finished P5. Dani Bereznay got up to P6 late on, with Jake Beham in P7.
Despite damage to his car, Wilson Hughes finished P8. Carter Lundy (P9) and Ruben Pedreno (P10) rounded off the points.
When's the next round?
Round 7 will take place in a week's time. Japan's Suzuka Circuit will host next week's events as the thrilling figure-of-eight track could throw up some shocks.
After Japan, there are just three rounds remaining in Season 31. The final will be hosted in Sao Paulo for the Brazilian Grand Prix on 7th September.