Race Report: Fisher Wins in Stunning Comeback After Early Drama

Sebastian Gunthenstiner started on pole for the Monza Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes front-row lockout alongside Bono Huis. Just behind, Red Bull’s Llewellyn Rees lined up third with McLaren’s Shane Murphey in fourth. But all eyes were on championship leader Matthew Fisher, who was down in P8 after a spin on his final qualifying lap.

As the lights went out, Fisher lit up the track. A rocket start saw the Mercedes driver surge through the pack, jumping to P4 by Turn 1. Into Turn 2, he made a bold double overtake on Huis and Murphey, launching himself into P2 behind teammate Gunthenstiner to form a Mercedes 1-2.

The Silver Arrows led the opening stages of the race, but by Lap 5, the Ferrari duo made their charge. Huis and his teammate swept past both Mercedes cars to take control of the race. Fisher, however, wasn’t done  regaining P3 from Gunthenstiner and locking onto the Ferraris’ DRS train in a bid to stay in contention.

Lap 7 delivered high drama. As Fisher went for the lead with DRS, a slight clip of wheels sent his Mercedes into the wall at high speed. His front wing bore the damage, but he kept the car running. A safety car was called, neutralizing the field.

During the caution, Fisher boxed for a fresh front wing and switched to soft tyres but as the rain began to fall, everyone soon dived into the pits for intermediates. Fisher’s early stop meant a tough restart, but as the pack reshuffled, he emerged in P2 behind Huis once the pit sequence resolved.

From there, it was an all-out chase.

With four seconds to close in damp conditions, Fisher turned up the pressure. Purple sectors. Maximum risk. As the final lap began, the gap was just under a second. The crowd held their breath as Fisher lined up a move on the final straight.

And in one of the closest finishes of the season, Fisher edged Huis by 0.019 seconds, snatching victory on the line.

“I never give myself comfortable margins, do I?” Fisher joked in the post-race press conference. “That was super close  I didn’t even know I’d done it until the team screamed in my ear.”

Huis, disappointed but respectful, said:

“It was hard racing. I thought I had it  but he just found something in those final laps. Congrats to him.”

McLaren’s Shane Murphey rounded out the podium, quietly collecting more key championship points.

“Honestly, I just stayed out of the mess up front,” he laughed. “Those two went at it. I was ready to take advantage if anything went wrong.”

It was another classic in the Formula One Esports Tier 1 World Championship  and with more rain, more rivals, and rising pressure, the title fight remains as unpredictable as ever.