8 June 2026 15:30 (UTC)
"We end the season knowing we have the pace and talent to fight at the front"
F1 Media & Technology Centre, Monday, 8 June
On 28 and 29 May, the fourth and final event of the 2026 F1 Sim Racing Championship took place at the F1 Media & Technology Centre in Biggin Hill.
The McLaren F1 Sim Racing Team went into the final event placed P6 in the Championship, having experienced some challenging races despite a positive start to the season. However, with podium finishes for the team in Mexico and Abu Dhabi, the team finished the season with 42 more points to secure a P5 finish.
Event Four included racing in Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi, three circuits which played to Alfie Butcher and Jake Benham’s advantage. In the round of Mexico City, Alfie started from P5 on a Hard tyre, which he managed well right to the end. He led the race for the majority of the laps but was overtaken on the final lap by Ismael Fahssi of Ferrari, giving Alfie a P2 result. Jake finished the race in P13.
For São Paulo, Jake started the race in P9 with a good chance for a points finish, but unfortunately, he suffered contact, causing him to spin and fall to P18. The race saw a powerful undercut that other teams were able to make use of to undercut Alfie, dropping him from P5 to P8, but still bringing good points for the team.
Despite Qualifying P12 in Abu Dhabi for the final round, Jake impressed as he drove a clean race, avoiding various on-track battles as he made up 10 places to secure his second podium with McLaren. Alfie, unfortunately, got caught up in some of those battles, which saw him finish P9, securing valuable points for the team to gain a position in the final Teams’ Championship standings.
The competition was tight across the grid throughout the entire season. The McLaren F1 Sim Racing team finished the season in P5, with Alfie in P6 and Jake in P12 in the Drivers’ Championship.
Round 10 – Mexico City (Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez)
Qualified | P5 |
Finished | P2 |
Round 11 – São Paulo (Autódromo José Carlos Pace)
Qualified | P5 |
Finished | P7 |
Round 12 – Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina Circuit)
Qualified | P8 |
Finished | P9 |
“That’s the 2026 season wrapped up. This final event was a stronger event for us, and I’m quite happy with it. Unfortunately, I dropped a few positions in Abu Dhabi after some penalties, but I’m overall pleased with the performance. We’re happy to have moved up in the Championship to P5 from what was P6 going into it.
“It was nice to see both of us get a podium at the final event. The P2 in Mexico was the highlight of Event Four for me, setting up a good momentum for us. We worked quite well in that last race and Jake had a really good drive gaining 10 spots to P2.
“Overall, we started the season on a high and ended it on a high. We just need to iron out some moments in the middle of the season, and we’ll be fighting at the top next season.”
Round 10 – Mexico City (Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez)
Qualified | P16 |
Finished | P13 |
Round 11 – São Paulo (Autódromo José Carlos Pace)
Qualified | P9 |
Finished | P18 |
Round 12 – Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina Circuit)
Qualified | P12 |
Finished | P2 |
“The 2026 season wasn’t what we wanted, but we brought it together and did the job that needed doing in this last event. Finishing off Event Four with a P2 is definitely the highlight for me after a tough few races. It was good to see Alfie on the podium this week as well, bringing some good points to the team.
“Ultimately, we know what we need to work on. We’ll take time to recharge and come back stronger next year. I’m looking forward to trying the new game and going from there.”
“It was great for the team to end the season with two more podiums, in Mexico and Abu Dhabi, with both Alfie and Jake delivering a P2 respectively.
“We end the season knowing we have the pace and talent to fight at the front, with some excellent drives and strategy from the engineers to deliver podiums.
“We’d have liked to have shown this more throughout the year, and to deliver the consistency required to fight for titles, but it leaves us with a strong foundation to build from.
“I’d like to thank the entire team for their hard work and delivery throughout the year, and also for the brilliant support we received from everyone following our journey throughout the season.”
