F1 Sim Racing 2025: Who Did And Did Not Impress In Event 1

With the next set of races of the F1 Sim Racing World Championship this week, there are plenty of conclusions to draw from the first four rounds.

F1 Sim Racing returned back in January for its seventh season, with the opening set of races at the Australian, Chinese, Bahrain and Saudi GP circuits. We covered the full line-up of all teams in the lead-up to the season starting, and who to look out for to impress.

We got some right, whilst others far exceeded expectations so in the lead-up to the next round, here are my picks for who impressed and who has fallen short of their expectations in F1 Sim Racing so far this season.

Ismael Fahssi​

Last season, this unassuming Spanish kid drove like he had been around for many years. The Williams racer scored two podiums in his first three races, and ended up eighth in the final standings when the season concluded. Little did any of us expect him to leap up to being a consistent championship contender so quickly.

Fahssi took pole position in three of the four races, and won the opening race after an incredible last lap battle. Coupled with a fourth, third and sixth place finish, Fahssi sits at the top of the standings on 63 points, six ahead of two-time champion Jarno Opmeer.


I highly rated Fahssi even before this season, and I am amazed by how much he has leapt up. He is a serious contender for the championship and has both the pace and the consistency so far, he just needs to remain consistent and try to take points in his off races. Which is what the next person on this list did not do.

Bari Broumand​

Before the season began, I tipped Ferrari's Bari Broumand to win the championship. Unfortunately though, I believe it is already too far gone and he will need a miracle to achieve it now. Already with a third of the season gone, the Iranian may have won the Bahrain race but that makes the sum total of his points haul.

Last season, Broumand failed to score in three races so he cannot afford any more. Reigning champion Frederik Rasmussen endured a worst finish of seventh place so it seems pretty bleak for the Ferrari driver right now. He has the ability, but poor qualifying and misfortune in races is dwindling any hope of the championship.


My heart still holds out hope for Bari to somehow win but my head thinks this is an impossible task now. With how short the season is and how close the gaps are, one mistake can barely be afforded and it truly proves how competitive F1 Sim Racing is.

István Puki​

Last season, István Puki sat on the sidelines with Ferrari as both Broumand and Nicolas Longuet - who are both proven winners - competed across all races. The Hungarian has impressed across the various independent leagues when racing against many of the pro drivers, but only now has he got his chance in the series. In hindsight, it is a travesty he had no seat time as now with Mercedes, Puki did the opening three races and got second place finishes in two of them.

Coupled with his teammate Dani Bereznay joining him on the podium in the first race and then repeating his result in the second, and Jake Benham also getting a podium in his sole outing in Event 1, Mercedes are top of the teams standings. Credit where it is due, I believed Mercedes would be hard pressed to hold a candle to the mightily strong pairings at Ferrari, Sauber and Red Bull.


Of course they will be wanting to keep that momentum. If I was Merc's manager, I would put all my eggs in the Puki basket whilst splitting Bereznay and Benham's seat time. Puki's pace and results this early on has me feeling we have barely scratched the surface of what he can do, and Mercedes really won big by snapping him up.

Thomas Ronhaar​

Another major disappointment from the first event, Sauber's Thomas Ronhaar has been a contentious presence in the series since his first appearance. Accused of running grip-increasing software, he seemed to disprove those allegations by winning the first event since the series' return to having all competitors onsite as opposed to remote.

However, that is not what he has been met with major criticism for in Event 1 of this season. Instead, in multiple instances across the event, the Dutch driver was attempting very unfeasible divebombs. The worst of it though was instigating a multi car pile-up in the Jeddah race when battling with Dani Bereznay that earned him a penalty which saw him drop from fifth to ninth place.


One thing is for certain, Ronhaar has the ability - he was third in his rookie campaign and runner-up last season after all - but he seems to let his frustration get the better of him very easily. If Ronhaar has any hope of becoming champion, he needs to get his emotions in check.

Otis Lawrence​

Last but not least, someone who I was certain would amaze in his rookie season but even he far exceeded my expectations. Otis Lawrence is a 16-year old Welsh whizkid who has starred in the F1 game scene long before he was old enough for eligibility in the pro series, and he certainly delivered on that hype.

Having just missed out on a debut podium in the opening race, Lawrence had a titanic battle with Red Bull's Opmeer for the win in the closing race of the event. The Aston Martin driver managed to outdrag Opmeer to the line by 0.003 seconds, although he was accused of trying to disrupt Opmeer's momentum by locking his rival's rear wheel with his front.


In spite of his inexperience, Aston are going all in on Lawrence with the apparent plan for him to do the full season whilst his teammates Fabrizio Donoso and Duncan Hofland will split duties. That can only mean that Aston truly believe they have a potential driver's champion in their roster. With only 16 points being the gap between him and leader Fahssi, it may very well pan out.

Who Will Impress In Event 2?​

From 12 to 14 February, the next four races of the season will be held at the homes of the British, Belgian, Dutch and US Grands Prix. We will see if the likes of Fahssi, Puki and Lawrence can continue their good run, if Broumand and Ronhaar can get their season back on track, or if other noteworthy drivers like Alfie Butcher or Josh Idowu can make an impact.

What did you make of the racing in Event 1 of the current F1 Sim Racing season? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our F1 game series forum!