2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship – Event 4 Recap

TGR Haas F1 Sim Racing Team aimed to finish strongly with Joris Croezen and Tamás Gál after a difficult third event in which they scored no points.

However, it was a disappointing start for Croezen in Mexico as he exited Q1 in P17. Teammate Gál progressed into Q2, and while he was on the cusp of making it into the final segment, he was narrowly knocked out in P13.

Both drivers opted to start the race on the hard tires. Gál endured a difficult start, losing positions in the early stages, while Joris managed to hold his ground despite initially dropping a place on the opening lap.

They began gaining further positions as drivers ahead started to make their pit stops, advancing to P7 and P8 by lap 16, at which point Croezen moved ahead of Gál.

Croezen pitted from P3 on lap 24, while Gál came in a lap later, both opting for the medium compound. By lap 28, Croezen had climbed his way through the field, locked into a battle with the Alpine of Dani Bereznay for the final points position, but slipped back down to P12.

Gál was also making his way through the field but received a one-second time penalty on lap 32 for contact, which saw him drop to P16 at the conclusion of the race. Croezen pushed hard in the closing stages but ultimately missed out on a point as he crossed the line in P11.

The penultimate qualifying session of the season once again highlighted the fine margins in the championship. Gál was eliminated in Q1 in P16, missing out on progression by just five thousandths of a second. In Q2, Croezen sat in P9 after the first runs, but was unable to improve and ultimately dropped out in P13.

Starting on the hard tire, both Croezen and Gál made good launches off the line. Croezen gained a position to move up to P12 by the end of the opening lap, while Gál slipped back to P17.

With overtaking proving difficult, neither driver was able to make up places until the first round of pit stops began on lap 12. As others ahead of them pitted, Croezen moved into P10, with Gál advancing to P15.

TGR Haas F1 Sim Racing Team opted for a longer first stint on the hard tire, allowing both drivers to circulate into the top ten before Gál eventually pitted on lap 23, rejoining at the back of the field. Teammate Croezen followed one lap later, also switching onto the medium tire and remaining ahead within the team pairing.

On lap 31, both drivers capitalized on McLaren’s Jake Benham dropping down the order, with Croezen climbing to P9 and Gál P14. Croezen maintained his position to the checkered flag, securing two more points, while Gál slipped back in the final stages, ultimately finishing P15. Post-race penalties meant that Croezen was promoted to P8.

In the final qualifying session of the season, Gál progressed into Q2 where he sat in the top ten, until his final flying lap where he was unable to improve his time, finishing P14. Meanwhile, teammate Croezen was on the cusp of making it into the next segment, but unfortunately dropped down into P17, ending his session early.

The 2026 season came to a close under the lights at the Yas Marina Circuit. Lining up P17 and P14 respectively, Croezen and Gál were aiming to finish the year on a high and take advantage of the close midfield battles ahead.

Croezen initially lost a position on the hard tire, while Gál, on the medium tire, made early progress, moving up into P12 by lap 4. However, his momentum was short-lived as he opted for an early pit stop on the following lap, switching to the hard compound. He rejoined in P18 but quickly dispatched Mercedes’ Tycho Hardy.

By lap 7, Gál had caught up with teammate Croezen, with the pair running P15 and P16. As pit stops unfolded ahead, they steadily moved forward, reaching P8 and P10 by lap 14. Gál briefly lost ground after a battle with Aston Martin’s Rubén Pedreño before making his second stop on lap 16. Croezen followed with his first stop of the race on lap 19.

Both drivers remained firmly in the midfield fight when the Alpine of Bereznay crashed, nearly collecting Croezen, who had just moved into P9, with Gál close behind in P10.

The pair held points positions into the closing stages. Gál crossed the line in P8, while Croezen finished P13 after receiving a penalty. Post-race penalties for other drivers promoted them to P7 and P11 respectively, capping off their season finale with a solid result.

Joris Croezen, TGR Haas F1 Sim Racing Team driver, said: “Scoring 44 points as a team this season is something we can truly be proud of. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to finish higher in the standings. However, I think we made huge progress, and personally I’m quite happy with the step forward I took. There were missed opportunities here and there, but in the end, I was fighting for points in most races this season."

Tamás Gál, TGR Haas F1 Sim Racing Team driver, said: “Together with Joris and the team, we’ve worked hard to represent the colors of TGR Haas F1 Team. On a personal note, it wasn’t the result I was both hoping and fighting for, but I gave everything I had over the past month and across all four events this season.”

Croezen finished 13th in the Drivers’ Championship, with Gál 20th and Csontos 25th, as TGR Haas F1 Sim Racing Team secured ninth in the Teams’ standings.