Alfie Butcher is the latest driver to add his name to the list of McLaren race winners, having taken his first victory for McLaren Shadow in the F1 Sim Racing Championship around the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

The British racer crossed the Chequered Flag first in Round 6 around the Belgian track to claim a dominant first McLaren victory in his debut season.

“It was really nice and a really good track to win on,” said Alfie. “It was in nice circumstances, and it was quite a controlling win, I would say. We led or were in second for most of the race, so it was quite a dominant drive and a really good confidence builder ahead of the rest of the races. 

“I came into the team and knew that I wanted to be fighting for race wins, in order to give the team, the best chance at the title. It is nice to get a win in the first half of the season, hopefully we can get another. It is such a great achievement, I am really happy. Hopefully we can get many more.”

Alfie had started the race from second, having missed out on Pole to Kick F1 Sim Racing Team’s Thomas Ronhaar by 0.2 seconds.

It was far from an easy afternoon for the McLaren Shadow driver. Ronhaar held onto first at lights out, but Alfie fought back throughout the following 10 laps as the duo traded the lead between them.

Pit stops brought others into the fight, before a three-car collision threatened Alfie’s race, but the British driver survived and went on to take the lead of the race, which he never relinquished.

It was the team’s first win of the year and Alfie is hoping that they can use it as a springboard to more consistently fight at the front.   

“We have had our ups and downs, the season has been quite a mixed bag at times,” Alfie said. “We've shown elements of being really strong - me and Lucas have both had some really good Qualifying sessions and some good races, we just need to string it together a bit more.

“At times, I think we have been a little inconsistent in Qualifying. We have had strong performances, but if we can start performing better in Qualifying in every race, consistently, then we will be where we want to be. 

“In Event 1, we had some really good race drives - I would say that our race pace has been among the best. So that means, if we haven't had a great Qualifying, we have the confidence that we can recover it in the race and still get some strong points. 

“I think it is quite hard to be consistent in this style of game in this era. You need to make sure you are comfortable with the setup and with the equipment you’ve got. We want to be maximising everything we can do to prepare on all fronts, utilising the resources we have got to hand.

“Hopefully in Event 3, it will all come together and from there, we can pick up some consistent podiums and good results.”

Alfie joined the team in September 2024 from the Haas F1 Team Esports on the back of an impressive first season in the F1 Sim Racing Championship. Alfie notched two wins and a second-place finish as he finished fifth in the standings.

Still only 17, Alfie had stepped up to the F1 Sim Racing Championship with multiple titles under his belt, having already won the F1 Esports Challengers Championship in 2023 and the 2022 PSGL PC F2 Championship title.

He joined a McLaren Shadow team looking to bounce back after a tough 2023/24 campaign. Racing alongside 2022 Drivers’ Champion Lucas Blakeley, and Wilson Hughes, the trio are working to return to winning ways on a more consistent basis, two seasons on from our Constructors’ title triumph in the series.

“Coming into the team for my first season here, I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone,” Alfie said. “I was close friends with some of my teammates already, so it has been quite easy to find my feet here. Everyone is so friendly, including the wider team and the Development Drivers, and so I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone. 

“We are working together every day. It has been quite an intense season, but we are doing our best to put in as much preparation as we can together. Some of the turnarounds are quite slim, there were only a couple of weeks between Event 1 and 2, but we are trying to be as efficient as possible, so we can keep improving from event to event. 

“We will try and end on as much of a high as possible. We will be working on where we think we can improve and hopefully, this can give us momentum going into future seasons.”