Haas F1 Esports Team’s Thomas Ronhaar scored a sensational second win of 2022 in Round 7, passing Bari Boroumand on the final lap to secure another triumph in his rookie season.
Qualifying third, Ronhaar ran an alternate strategy to those around him, gunning for the mediums early on to easily surpass those starting on the hards while out-lasting those on the softs.
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When he pitted for hard tyres on Lap 11 of 27, he emerged with a slender lead over second-place man Bari Boroumand, a duality that would prove to be a tug-of-war over the remaining race distance.
Boroumand struck on Lap 24, partially taking the lead on the grass on the run down to Variante Rettifilo, but his move left him vulnerable on the crucial final laps. That was to be his undoing, with Ronhaar slipping past on the final DRS zone – under the old banking – on the very last lap to take victory.
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Poleman Nicolas Longuet followed them home in third place, after being passed and then knocked into a half-spin at the first corner. And it was a superb day out for Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN F1 Esports Team stablemate Dani Bereznay, who clinched his first points since 2020 with a resurgent fourth place. The lofty Hungarian also picked up the Aramco Driver of the Day accolade, for his P8 to P4 run.
Title contender Frede Rasmussen came home fifth, ahead of home hero David Tonizza in sixth. Points leader Lucas Blakelely took P7, followed by Josh Idowu (P8), Patrik Sipos (P9), and Simon Weigang rounded out the points.
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It was a miserable day for Mercedes, with reigning champion Jarno Opmeer first dropping out in Q1 in qualifying, and then getting caught up in a melee on Lap 1, causing damage to his wing and winding up P17. Debuting Silver Arrow team mate Jake Benham fared slightly better in P15, but it marks the team’s first double-zero since 2020.
The next race around Mexico City gets under way on Thursday November 3, with qualifying from 1530 UTC, and the race from 1930 UTC.