MEJG CLAIMS ABU DHABI GP WIN AS JORDAN CRASHES ONE CORNER FROM HOME

Season 20’s desert sunset delivered high drama under the Yas Marina lights, as AA_Mejg powered his VisaRB to victory — capitalizing on a quali-banned brave-one-stopper of Jordan, who lost what would still have been a strong P2 in last corner. Gordini brought the Mercedes home in second for his long-awaited return to the podium, while Bards19 completed the top three with a strong run for Williams...

It was a statement performance from Mejg, who not only recovered from his painful Baku retirement earlier in the season but also showed why he remains the benchmark in A1881 consistency. Now sitting on 227 points and with a 58-point cushion over Jordan, his fourth title is closer than ever.

When asked about if he sees his 4th title in the bag already after this win, Mejg answered:

“With Jordan's surprising DNF with just one corner until the finish line, it is certainly looking promising for that 4th drivers' title. It's been the goal since the start of the season, but this is racing so it's not over until it's over. Anyway, I managed to hook up my final run in Q3 to claim pole position. I was under pressure in the first stint. Surprisingly no one went for an undercut. Stint 2 and 3 felt very dominant as I extended my lead lap by lap. However, Jordan went for a bold 1-stop strategy. He gave me a run for the money, but once I caught him towards the end it was a fairly easy pass due to my big tire advantage. Valiant effort from him though, starting last and unfortunately he crashed just one corner from the finish line. Happy to take the win, but gutted for my fellow Swedish brother.”

Gordini, meanwhile, was one of the feel-good stories of the night. After a quiet run of results, the Mercedes driver was back on the podium — his first top-three finish since Season 19’s late stretch. His strong pace through the middle stint and excellent execution of the two stopper allowed him to comfortably stay in penalty zones of Bards and Naedangerdavid, whose Williams were seeming quite strong all race.

Behind them, Rollie’s Alpine was a standout performer once again, securing a solid P4 after keeping Endru’s VisaRB out of DRS range — despite Endru NOT having damage. Rollie’s one-stop gamble looked like it might put him on the podium, but stopping one lap too early cost him a big drop-off in last 2 laps where he fell like a stone and forced him to settle just off the top three. Still, it’s another strong result that keeps Alpine firmly in the midfield fight.

NaeDangerDavid, filling in for Williams wildcarding Javinwain, took P5 after a solid drive that added to the team’s most productive weekend of the season so far, while Quartiux brought the Red Bull home in P6, continuing to show impressive adaptability whenever he steps in. Keon’s Mercedes crossed the line in P7 after recovering from a poor grid slot, executing some bold overtakes in the closing laps and making Mercedes the team of the week together with Gordini's P2.

Aston Martin’s Dunce and Selecta finished P8 and P9 respectively — a quiet but effective double-points finish that keeps the team second in the Constructors’. SCR_FTronc rounded out the top 10 in the other Red Bull, despite struggling with rear grip in the final stint.

Scaparro kept Ferrari’s points ticking with P11, while Tvoje_mamkacz brought his Alpine home in P12, showing consistent pace through the race. Crunchypancake and Sir Ibbo’s McLarens came home P14 and P16 respectively, both surviving a race of attrition. Sir Ibbo and Goktugselcuk raced each other all race but still Goktug came out on top in his debut, with Ibbo becoming extra nice as usual.

It was a miserable evening for the DNFs — Endru’s promising run ended early after an off in sector three, while Cajoco and Rian also retired before the halfway mark, continuing a rough patch for both Haas and Ferrari in recent rounds. Rian's was especially extraordinary since it involved a Sir Ibbo divebomb, which is known to be a very rare event in nature. Jordan’s late heartbreak, however, stole the headlines: after an astonishing charge from 19th on the grid to the comfortable P2 with a daring one-stop strategy, the KICK Sauber hit the wall at the final sector, just meters away from finishing second.

With that, Mejg’s path to his record fourth A1881 Drivers’ Championship looks increasingly assured. His VisaRB team continues to dominate the Constructors’ standings with 356 points, far ahead of Aston Martin on 213 and KICK Sauber on 192.

The grid was delighted to have Ironghost on comms. Next up: %100 length COTA, the disaster track for cockpit racers...

Find below the stream of the race:

https://www.youtube.com/live/af7zi4lX2nI?si=tqKGJ8EfnkaDHzxh&t=3994