F1 Co-op S4: Kruimel edges The Captain in thrilling Las Vegas showdown

Las Vegas, Round 14 of 16 — After the bitter disappointment of Brazil where the Grand Prix failed to yield any points, Formula 1 Co-op Season 4 rolled into the neon-lit streets of Las Vegas for what promised to be a pivotal showdown in the title race. With just 23 points separating championship leader Kruimel and his closest challenger The Captain, the stakes were sky-high under the glitz of the Strip.

Qualifying

A flawless pole lap from The Captain in qualifying had the hallmarks of a statement drive — a 1:28.263 put him ahead of Verstappen and his teammate-turned-title-rival Kruimel. But a late-session tangle with Yuki Tsunoda turned the session on its head. The stewards controversially judged The Captain at fault for the incident, handing him a five-place grid penalty. The Ferrari driver was livid: “Unbelievable. We had the pace, the rhythm. This wasn’t my mistake.” Pole slipped away, and Verstappen inherited P1 on the grid, with Kruimel promoted to P2. The Captain, once again, would have to fight from behind.

Race

As the lights went out on the narrow Las Vegas street circuit, neither Ferrari launched particularly well. Kruimel defended stoutly from Norris and Leclerc into Turn 1, retaining second, while The Captain, starting sixth, was momentarily boxed in by Tsunoda and Gasly. But a bold, three-wide brake move into Turn 1 saw him hold firm. In Turn 2, he capitalised on Leclerc’s oversteer and slotted into fourth — a net gain of two places.

Half a lap later, Kruimel pounced. Powering out of Turn 12, he caught Verstappen without the help of DRS and took the lead into Turn 14. The Captain, not to be outdone, cleared Norris a corner later, and then Verstappen at the start of Lap 2 with a superior exit from Turn 16. By the end of the first full lap, Ferrari was 1-2, and Las Vegas was painted red.

What followed was a demonstration of strategic synchronicity. Lap after lap, the Ferraris swapped places using DRS to maintain maximum pace and build a gap to the chasing Red Bulls. The message was clear: cooperate now, fight later.

But cracks began to appear in Lap 8. The Captain, struggling with tyre degradation, lost the rear at Turn 7. Kruimel swept by while the Ferrari twitched under acceleration. The Captain dived into the pits at the end of the lap — a quick stop, but a minor delay while rejoining cost him nearly two seconds.

Kruimel responded immediately, pitting on Lap 9. A clean stop saw him retain a 3-second lead over The Captain. From there, the race turned into a tense chess match. The Captain was relentless, carving into the gap with a flurry of fastest laps, but Kruimel never let the lead fall below a second. The Captain was faster, but the circuit offered few overtaking opportunities, and the damage had been done.

After 18 laps, it was Kruimel who crossed the line to take victory. He had controlled the second stint with maturity and poise. The Captain, a mere 1.4 seconds adrift, was left to rue what might have been.

Leclerc, on an alternate strategy, muscled his way past both Red Bulls to finish third — albeit nearly 15 seconds behind the Ferraris.

Post-Race Reactions:

The Captain: “It was a tough weekend, and that’s partly on me. I had the pace in qualifying and the race, but the penalty and my mistake in Turn 7 cost me dearly. I was flying in the second stint, but it was too late. If I’d started from pole… who knows?”

Kruimel: “Hard work today. The start was tight, but once we got into rhythm, we managed things well. I saw The Captain have a moment before the stops and after that, I just focused on managing the gap. He was rapid, but I’m very pleased with this win.”

Fred Vasseur (Ferrari TP): “We’ve shown today how far we’ve come. This was a dominant weekend from Ferrari. Both drivers delivered, and while we’ll miss them both, Ferrari will continue to fight at the front.”

Championship Picture:

Kruimel’s win stretches his lead to 29 points. The Captain’s second place and fastest lap limit the damage to a 6-point swing, but with just two race weekends left — including a sprint in Qatar — the clock is ticking. Leclerc remains mathematically in contention, 43 points behind Kruimel.

The Qatar Grand Prix will be crucial. A sprint weekend, it offers up to 58 points. For Kruimel, the task is clear: finish ahead of The Captain, or lose fewer than two points to him, and the title is his. The Captain must beat Kruimel — anything less, and the championship may slip away.