RANKUP CLOSES THE BOOK, WILLIAMS CLOSE THE ERA: MADRID ENDS A SEASON TO REMEMBER

Season 24 ended where it began, on Spain and with the same official podium. Rankupwithme capped off his championship-winning campaign with another pole and another victory at Madrid, leading home Yeshurrun and Bards in the official classification, while TrenchGhost stood on the third step of the podium on track after an impressive wildcard drive. With the wildcard rule limiting the points he could bring to Scaparro, however, the result was officially classified differently, but the visual of TrenchGhost celebrating a maiden A1881 podium was very much real... The Drivers' Championship had already found its owner in Baku, but the final podium picture on WDC is now complete: 🥇 Rankupwithme, 🥈 Bards19 and 🥉 Yeshurrun.

Madrid delivered one last reminder of what this season was about. Rankup disappeared at the front early, while TrenchGhost, wildcarding for Scaparro, stunned the grid by matching the frontrunners in qualifying and looked every bit like a future full-time contender. His drive earned a maiden podium on track, but the wildcard rule means the result officially becomes Scaparro's strongest finish of the season with P5.

Yeshurrun quietly secured the biggest prize still available, locking in his first-ever A1881 Drivers' Championship medal after a breakthrough campaign that included his maiden victories at Spa and relentless consistency throughout the year. Bards completed the podium after another fast afternoon, capping a season that transformed him from "Almost Bards" into a race winner and championship runner-up.

Behind them, Rollie's afternoon perfectly summed up his season: half a lap of looking like a title contender before a spin sent him to the back, followed by a determined recovery filled with entertaining battles. His duel with Bards produced perhaps the switchback of the season through one of Madrid's tightest corners, while Rothnz added another enjoyable scrap to the recovery charge, giving the feeling of good old days...

Further back, rothNz collected another respectable finish, while ToxxicElijah continued his habit of quietly producing strong results whenever he appeared. Sir Ibbo, been long famous for being "the last driver alive," once more escaped that fate, leaving both struggling Mercedes behind him this time. Crunchypancake and Energetic completed the classified finishers after difficult evenings.

Rankupwithme's obsession with the crown finally became reality after an almost flawless campaign built on preparation, consistency and relentless pace. Williams wrapped up the Constructors' Championship early, with Rankup and Bards becoming one of the strongest teammate pairings the league has seen.

Bards finally captured his elusive maiden A1881 win after five seasons of heartbreak. Yeshurrun's rise from consistent frontrunner to championship medalist became one of the standout stories of the year. Keon's adaptation to the F1 26 cars turned him into one of the grid's biggest comebacks, collecting podium after podium. Rollie endured a frustrating but memorable campaign full of sub-podium drivers except Spa...

Elsewhere, newcomers left their mark. Furios_Dony arrived with instant qualifying pace, TrenchGhost announced himself as another promising Swedish addition ahead of his confirmed full-time seat.

Season 24 will ultimately be remembered as the year of adaptation. New F1 26 machinery reshuffled the competitive order, established stars found themselves relearning old habits, and new names emerged from the pack. Through ten rounds, dramatic weather swings, forced cockpit races, sprint weekends and championship twists, one constant remained: Williams.

Now the paddock turns the page.

Season 25 car selection takes place this Thursday, bringing fresh names, fresh machinery, and perhaps the biggest challenge of all: asking this season's winners to prove they can do it again in slower cars.

Rankupwithme interview: That was ridiculous. I don’t think I’ve ever had a race where I felt that dominant from start to finish. Pole, the win, and then crossing the line around thirty seconds ahead… in the final race of the season, already wearing the crown. There’s something almost perfect about that.

The championship was already ours in Baku, so Madrid wasn’t about points anymore. There was nothing left to protect, nothing left to calculate. I could just race. And maybe that freedom showed, because this was probably the strongest version of me all season.

And I’ll admit, there was a small part of me that was sad nobody really said anything about it afterwards. Because from inside the car, I knew what had just happened. Thirty seconds in a field I’ve fought with all year is not normal. It felt like one of those performances where you just sit there afterwards and think, fuck… where did that come from?

But maybe that’s okay too. Even if noone else noticed what that race was.

I know.

And when I look back at this season, I’m not only going to remember the crown. I’m going to remember Bards and Yesh beside me, the fights, the qualifying battles, the mistakes, the wins, all the setup work, everything we went through together.

Then, after all of that, we arrive at Madrid for one final race.

Pole.

Thirty seconds.

Victory.

There really wasn’t a better way to close it.

I came into the final round wearing the crown.

I leave Madrid having reminded everyone why it was mine. 👑"

Ironghost honoring our season finale in the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/live/9Kp2i3Y29O4?si=B7fGQN6LntR0N-jy&t=2321