JORDAN WINS IN MEXICO AS ALPINE CLINCHES WCC TITLE

Round 9 of Season 18 delivered yet another thrilling spectacle, this time at the high-altitude Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, where Jordan took a composed and strategic win in mixed conditions. The VisaRB driver led home Alpine’s Endru and Ferrari’s Javinwain in a race that began dry but transformed into a wet-weather chess match after lap 10. While Jordan’s title hopes remain alive, Alpine’s celebrations began early, as the French outfit clinched the World Constructors’ Championship with one round to spare.

From pole, Jordan controlled the opening laps under dry skies. But by lap 10, rain clouds gathered and the race turned on its head. While the full wet tyres initially appeared to be the safer call, it quickly became clear that the inters were just as capable—if not more efficient—on the greasy surface. This created a pivotal split among the frontrunners: AA_Mejg opted for full wets, while Jordan and both his eventual podium companions chose inters. It proved to be a race-defining decision.

Javinwain’s rise to the podium is perhaps the story of the day. Driving the Ferrari, he held firm through the chaos to score his first-ever A1881 podium, and his first in no-assists racing. Steady and consistent despite the conditions, it’s a performance that marks him as one to watch heading into Season 19.

“Can I get the win in Imola? Probably. Can I win the title in Imola? I’ll have to get creative 👀” quipped Jordan after the race, stoking the flames of the title fight with a wink to his rivals—and a cheeky reference to crashing his long term rival and friend Mejg out...

Behind the podium, AA_Mejg had a frustrating afternoon. After holding P2 early on, the shift to wets ultimately cost him pace relative to the inter runners. Rollie was right behind both Mejg and Jordan in the dry—lost control when the rain first hit, spinning out of podium contention and picking up a 10-second penalty for corner cutting in the process, which would not have hurt as much, if it didnt put him behing Bhavish at sc exit... What might have been a defining performance for the Aston Martin driver instead ended in seventh, although he remains in contention for third in the drivers’ standings.

Fifth on the road was Ferrari’s Dunce, who drove a solid but unspectacular race in the trickiest conditions of the season. Selecta in the Mercedes initially crossed the line third, but repeated track limits violations dropped him to sixth after penalties were applied—another missed opportunity in an up-and-down campaign.

Further down the top ten, Gordini delivered a storming recovery drive from the very back of the grid to eighth in the VisaRB. The Williams pair of Rothnzand Bhavish brought home ninth and tenth respectively, helping the team gain further ground on Haas in the WCC battle.

Quartiux brought home a solid 11th-place finish in the McLaren, collecting valuable points and maintaining his consistency late in the season. Dan followed closely in 12th for KICK Sauber with a clean drive from 17th on the grid. TSCRacing, stepping in for Haas, finished 13th, ahead of Red Bull’s Crunchypancake in 14th and Sir_Ibbo in the second McLaren, who secured 15th. TarkanGino, despite being the last classified finisher in 16th, once again failed to see the chequered flag due to a late retirement—his fourth consecutive DNF—though still awarded points. Rian and Tvoje_mamkacz were 17th and 18th before retiring, also earning minor points. Only Keon and Inginne failed to register on the board.

Tarkan’s fourth straight DNF prompted a mid-race Safety Car and some raised eyebrows in the paddock. With his incident conveniently coming just as pit strategies were forming, there was speculation about whether it was an intentional move. Regardless, it contributed to the loss of valuable time for Mejg, who had just committed to the slower wet tyre, while giving Jordan and the inter runners a window to solidify their advantage.

Behind Tarkan, retirements included Rian (KICK Sauber), Tvoje_mamkacz (Aston Martin), Keon (Haas), and Inginne (Red Bull), most falling victim to the treacherous wet conditions or collisions, while Keon and Tvoje were victims of EA retiring their cars when they got connection issues.

With this result, the WDC battle is finely poised. Mejg remains on top with 286 points, but Jordan is now within striking distance on 261. The math is simple: if Jordan wins at Imola, Mejg must finish at least P4 to take the crown. Any lower, and Jordan steals the title in the final round. Dunce sits third with 223 but is now under pressure from both Rollie and Endru, who has as much chance for a WCC P3 medal, as Jordan on title,.. 

The WCC fight, however, is done and dusted—Alpine take the title with 463 points, after a season of relentless pace and consistency. Aston Martin (351) and VisaRB (325) look likely to round out the top three, but Ferrari (314) could still intervene next week.

That intervention will come at the historic Imola circuit, where the A1881 Season 18 finale will be held next Sunday. Another 100% race aligned with the real F1 calendar awaits, and with tensions at an all-time high, don’t miss the championship-deciding action.

Thanks once again to Ironghost for the live commentary!

https://youtu.be/eUA057njDRA?si=1kuU2X1Wlqo3aHkB&t=3503