JUSTIN OPENS SEASON WITH STATEMENT WIN AT SPA AHEAD OF ROLLIE AND BARDS

The season kicked off at Spa with Justin leading home a hard-fought podium ahead of Rollie and Bards, in a race defined by changing conditions, cockpit challenges, and relentless wheel-to-wheel action.

The weekend’s unique format, featuring the only forced cockpit cam race of the season alongside a dry sprint, already set the tone. Justin was untouchable from the start, converting pole into a commanding sprint win in the VisaRB before carrying that momentum into the main race. Behind him, the sprint saw Bobow bring the Williams home in second and Dunce quietly impress in the Ferrari, while Rankupwithme stepped in as a reserve and immediately made an impact for Haas.

Chaos wasn’t far behind. Rollie’s weekend nearly unraveled at Turn 1 in the sprint when Bards forced him wide, costing him around ten positions and putting him on the back foot for the feature race. Meanwhile, early exits for Yeshurrun, Tvoje, and San2793 in the sprint added to the unpredictability of the opener.

The main race began on intermediate tyres, with light rain fading by around lap 5 or 6. By then, Justin had already built a decisive gap, showcasing exceptional control in tricky conditions before smoothly transitioning into dry pace. Behind him, the spotlight shifted to a race-long duel between the two of the natural cockpit racers, Rollie in the Mercedes and Bards in the Alpine. Rollie, played a strategic game, using DRS not just for attack but crucially for fuel saving. A brief VSC phase gave him exactly the extra fuel he needed, and he finally made the move stick to secure second place. Bards still came away with a strong third, continuing to look at home in the Alpine and reinforcing his reputation as the grid’s top original cockpit driver.

Just behind the podium, Bobow limited the damage in fourth, adapting well despite cockpit view not being his usual preference. Scaparro delivered one of his standout performances in the McLaren, finishing fifth and showing clear determination to avoid being dragged into the danger zone for next season’s allocations.

Rankupwithme’s debut weekend as a stand-in was one of the biggest stories. Filling in for Mejg who did a champion chickening out of cockpit, he brought Haas valuable points in both sprint and race, finishing sixth in the feature and immediately proving his worth. Dunce followed in seventh, another driver who handled the cockpit challenge impressively, while Keon also stood out by bringing the second Haas into the points in eighth.

Further down, Rothnz climbed into ninth for Aston Martin with a solid recovery drive, and SV5 rounded out the top ten in the Alpine after a slightly more complicated race involving two stops.

SCRFtronc in the Red Bull will feel there was more on the table despite finishing just outside the top ten, while Energetic added points for Aston Martin in twelfth. San2793, making a very late debut in the Williams, had a challenging outing with adaptation issues after stepping in for Javinwain, but still showed flashes of promising pace.

Selecta’s race ended outside Top 10 once again, surely hurting more while Rollie secured his first podium since a podium-less Season 22. Crunchypancake followed in the McLaren, while Elche had a difficult race trying to support Jordan’s tally through wildcard efforts, though with limited payoff.

Sir Ibbo brought the Kick Sauber home ahead of Tvoje, who was one of the race’s retirements along with Yeshurrun. Bquimss, in what is expected to be his only A1881 appearance, chose to retire safely in the pits to avoid causing any on-track incidents.

With no safety car interruptions across sprint and feature race, the race stayed remarkably clean despite the conditions and format, placing even more emphasis on consistency and racecraft.

At the top, Justin leaves Spa with a perfect statement, leading both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ standings for VisaRB, while early pressure builds behind him with Rollie, Bobow, and Bards all looking competitive heading into the next round.

No winner interview yet, will be added later.


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