Carnage at Suzuka: Safety Cars, Spinners, and a Statement Win from Hellboy
Round 3 of the Fixxxer Racing Syndicate arrived in Japan, and qualifying immediately delivered fireworks. Coen, serving a qualifying ban, found himself at the center of early-session chaos after rejoining the track unsafely and inadvertently taking Banana out of contention. With tempers flaring and grid positions shaken, the front row ultimately formed with Hellboy snatching pole, Iluvnightwing securing P2, and championship leader Legitimate_EX locking in P3 as he aimed to extend his advantage.
The race itself wasted no time descending into the usual first-lap pandemonium. Newcomer Retroram and Lars quickly became one of the standout duos of the day, trading blows for position throughout the entire event. Meanwhile, the top three engaged in a relentless, high-pressure fight—right up until the lap-10 safety car, triggered by yet another Coen loss of control, a recurring theme in his season. The neutralization couldn’t have come at a worse time for Hellboy, effectively undoing his hard-earned lead. Strategy calls then began to diverge, with most drivers committing to hards until the finish—but Ema rolled the dice on softs, a gamble that backfired just a few laps later, forcing an extra stop and dropping them out of the top five.
As the race entered its final stretch, disaster struck for front-runner Iluvnightwing on lap 17 when a snap of oversteer sent him tumbling down the order behind Lars and Ema. Desperate to claw back positions through the blisteringly fast Turn 8, both Iluvnightwing and Ema overcooked their braking and went flying off the circuit—collecting the unsuspecting Lars with them. The incident opened the door for Hellboy to reclaim the ground he’d lost earlier, storming back into the lead. Further behind, Abrantes enjoyed one of his strongest races yet, battling fiercely with Legitimate_EX for P2. Their duel ended in a dramatic coming-together at the final chicane, with Legitimate_EX somehow emerging in second and Abrantes taking P3. Twenty seconds behind, the Lars–Retroram scrap finally concluded with Lars salvaging an impressive P4 from a P10 start.
Post-race, the stewards had no shortage of incidents to review, issuing several penalties to be served in the next round. Emotions ran high in the paddock as drivers reacted to the mayhem. Lars, reflecting on the Turn 8 collision, didn’t hide his frustration: “I tried giving space to the McLaren although it seemed like a stupid move. Next thing I know I’m in the gravel with a McLaren and an Alpine. It’s always the Alpine.” Banana, ever the spirited Irishman, used his interview to shower praise on his absent teammate Lukas—who helped him remotely with strategy despite not being able to race—while also tossing some playful shade at Tomslick, declaring, “He is so washed.”
JD, stepping in as a reserve for Haas, admitted the day had been a rollercoaster. A tough qualifying left him on the back foot, but a last-second strategy switch during the safety car vaulted him into P7 and earned Haas their first points of the season. “I messed up with my setup,” he said, noting a lack of confidence in the car throughout qualifying. “But the safety car really saved my race.”
With results finalized, the championship picture shifted once more. Legitimate_EX retains the lead after salvaging P2 in dramatic fashion—but Hellboy’s dominant win in Japan launches him into P2 overall, tightening the fight at the top of the Fixxxer Racing Syndicate leaderboard as the season builds momentum heading into Round 4.
