How Round 7 of the 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship panned out

The 2026 Sim Racing World Championship returned on Wednesday for Event 3: Round 7 around the virtual Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, with 18 of the best Esports drivers racing hard for both championships at the F1 Media and Technology Centre in Biggin Hill.

It was another race filled with daring overtakes, careful strategy, and plenty of drama – and with wet-to-dry conditions throwing the strategic picture wide open, nothing was straightforward from lights out to the chequered flag.

Here is a recap of Wednesday’s action...

Belgium – Qualifying

Qualifying started with a shock – reigning champion Jarno Opmeer lingered at the bottom of the timing board throughout the duration of Q1, and though he found a purple second sector on his final attempt, it ultimately wasn’t enough to save him. Knocked out in P16, it would still be foolish to count him out of the race entirely...

Rain arrived early in Q2, rewarding those who had banked their laps early on before the track was entirely soaked. With eight minutes remaining, the entire field retreated into the pits, leaving no chance of improvement – a one-and-done session. The casualty list was notable too – Thomas Ronhaar, Jake Benham and Alfie Butcher all failed to make Q3.

The final session was tense as the teams waited for the track to dry out, and with two minutes of the session remaining, all 10 drivers headed out for their final laps – with three of them making the bold call to switch to slicks over intermediates. Those who gambled on the soft tyres were rewarded handsomely, as they locked out the top three spots.

Racing Bulls’ Ulaz Ozyildirim took a fantastic pole by six-tenths ahead of Williams’ Istvan Puki, with his Racing Bulls team mate Tom Manley completing the top three, and championship leader Otis Lawrence down in P9.

Belgium – Race

Wet conditions were back for the race, with the whole field opting for intermediates. Whilst it was a pretty clean getaway, a few drivers picked up minor damage on the opening lap – the two Racing Bulls had a close call into Turn 1, but the top five held position well.

The action towards the back of the field was relentless, with Butcher, Opmeer and Jan Haladej making swift progress and passing the damaged Williams of Nicholas Longuet. The top three looked stable on track given the difficulty to pass in slippery conditions, so strategy was crucial. Manley blinked first, diving into the pits on Lap 11 for the hard tyres for an undercut, with several others following suit.

It was a great call, and with the enabling of DRS that lap, the leaders scrambled to respond through a flurry of pit stops. Some drivers got unlucky with double-stacks further down, but Ozyildirim maintained his lead, emerging just ahead of Manley - Puki was the real loser from the pit stops, dropping to sixth amidst the chaos.

A dry track opened the door for some overtakes, and it was Alpine’s Lawrence who looked to take advantage. With four laps to go, the Welshman swept past a fading Puki on the Kemmel Straight, while further back, defending champion Opmeer pulled off an audacious three-wide move to get himself into the points.

With the top four looking settled, there was still time for battles between Dani Bereznay and Puki, along with a frantic four-way scrap for the final points positions between Opmeer, Bari Broumand, Ruben Pedreno and Butcher – but somehow, all four held their places to the flag, with Butcher just missing out.

Despite a desperate late lunge from Manley entering Les Combes on the final lap, Ozyildirim held on to take a maiden victory, with Rasmussen completing the podium positions. Not only was it his first win, but it was also Racing Bulls’ first time on the top step of the podium, and their first 1-2.

Standings

The Drivers’ Championship took another twist in Belgium, as Opmeer’s poor performance saw him drop to third behind team mate Rasmussen, who took his third P3 in a row. Lawrence continues to look like the man to beat, extending his lead to 14 points, while Ozyildirim launches himself into contention with the victory.

It looks like a two-way battle for the 2026 Constructors’ Championship, with Red Bull holding a 13-point lead over Alpine, with Racing Bulls a further 43 points back in P3. Plenty to play for in the final five rounds!