After finishing fourth in Abu Dhabi on Friday night, Lucas Blakeley was declared the winner of the 2022 F1 Esports Series Pro Championship.
Blakeley entered the final tournament with a 21-point advantage over second place, requiring only a top-eight result to secure victory after taking the championship lead from the very first round in Bahrain.
It follows a commanding performance on Thursday night in Brazil, where he scored his fourth victory of 2022 and put himself in a position to win the title.
It was Josh Idowu’s first pole position in the Pro Championship, and he surprised everyone by taking it in Abu Dhabi. Thomas Ronhaar, whose poor chances of winning the title pushed him to a spirited first lap, challenged him right from the bat.
In the third lap, Frede Rasmussen passed Idowu in pursuit of Ronhaar, who had taken the lead. Blakeley did not lose his stable P4 grid place, though, which was more than enough to complete the transaction.
With a Sergio Perez-like position on the front wing of Blakeley on lap 20, Haas rear gunner Piotr Stachulec nearly put teammate Ronhaar back in the race. However, his attempt was unsuccessful. As he continued to travel up the road, Blakeley went through the back straight.
Not only was he outclassed, but Rasmussen also passed Ronhaar on lap 24 to take the lead with only five laps left, and that is how they crossed the finish line.
Idowu, who earned his third podium of the year, finished behind Rasmussen and Ronhaar. Blakeley came in fourth place, ahead of fellow champions Jarno Opmeer and David Tonizza.
The fourth and last champion on the grid, Brendon Leigh, finished eighth, while Bari Boroumand rolled up in P7. The points were finished by Luke Smith and Nicolas Longuet.
With 181 total points, Blakeley wins the season’s championship, eight points ahead of Rasmussen, who falls short of Blakeley for the second consecutive season.
He wins the title in P2 for the fourth time in a row, followed by Ronhaar, who finished third in his first season. With a strong fourth-place finish, Boroumand beats departing champion Opmeer and previous victor Longuet.
The winning team, McLaren Shadow, scored 330 points, surpassing Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports in second place. Third-place finisher Haas F1 Esports defeats Mercedes’ power. Alpha Romeo and Alpha Taurus, the two Alfa/Alpha teams, both had great finishes and surpassed the 100-point threshold.
Suddenly, the F1 Esports Series Pro Championship is over for the current season. We look forward to seeing you in 2023 and hope you loved the racing action as much as we did.
