Hinwil, 14 February 2025 – KICK F1 Sim Racing Team driver, Thomas Ronhaar, jumped to the top of the standings of the 2025 Sim Racing World Championship as the series continued to deliver exciting action across four intense rounds. Racing in Silverstone, Spa, Zandvoort, and COTA, Thomas Ronhaar stood out with a stellar win at the Circuit of The Americas, while Brendon Leigh overcame some challenging moments throughout the event. The team now sits in fifth place in the standings, with Thomas moving up to the top the Drivers’ Championship and Brendon in P19.
Round 5: Silverstone
The Silverstone round was tough for the team. In qualifying, Thomas made it through to P6, while Brendon found himself starting from P18 after a tricky session in the rain. The race saw Thomas drop a couple of places at the start but make some solid moves after the pit stops, ending up in P5 with a clean strategy. Brendon had a tougher time, ultimately retiring after a crash late in the race. Thomas managed to hold on and finished in P6, securing valuable points for the team.
Round 6: Spa
Spa was a whole different challenge, with heavy rain throughout the round. Both drivers made it through qualifying, with Thomas starting from P1 after an exceptional lap in Q3. Brendon wasn’t far behind in P7. The race itself saw Thomas in an incredible battle for the lead with Alfie Butcher, swapping positions multiple times throughout the race. Thomas eventually finished in P3, securing a podium, while Brendon fought hard to recover from a pit stop and ended up finishing P10.
Round 7: Zandvoort
Zandvoort’s tight and twisty layout gave both drivers a tough challenge. Thomas qualified well in P5, while Brendon started from P18. Rain started to play a big role, and Thomas made the call to pit early for intermediate tires, positioning himself in P2. He fought hard to maintain his position and managed to finish in P3 after some great on-track battles. Unfortunately, Brendon couldn’t get into the rhythm and finished P18 after an overall tough race.
Round 8: Circuit of The Americas
The final round of the event at COTA was one to remember for Thomas. After qualifying P2 and missing pole by just nine-thousandths of a second, Thomas had an incredible start, immediately challenging for the lead. He managed to take the lead after a few laps and didn’t look back from there. Despite a challenging pit stop and a lot of on-track action, Thomas fought his way back to P1, securing the win after a fantastic performance. Brendon had a more difficult race, finishing in P15 after struggling to find pace.
Brendon Leigh
KICK F1 Sim Racing Team (Car #72)
“First of all – congratulations to Thomas! It’s great to see him at the top of the standings. It’s been a mixed event for me. I had some good moments and showed some pace, but overall, I didn’t bring home the results I was hoping for. There were definitely some challenges along the way, but I’m not letting that discourage me. I’m going to keep working hard, stay focused on improving, and build on what I have learned. I know I have the potential to come back stronger in the next rounds and support the team in the top five battle, and I’m determined to make that happen.”
Thomas Ronhaar
KICK F1 Sim Racing Team (Car #39)
“What an event it has been, especially with the win at COTA which made things even sweeter. It’s always great to take home a victory, and it feels even better after some of the challenges we faced earlier in the weekend. Silverstone was a bit rough for me, but we bounced back strong in the other races, showing what we are capable of. The team has been fantastic, and I really feel like we are improving with each event. I’m currently at the top of the standings, and the team is in P5, which is a great position to be in at this stage. But we know the job isn’t done yet — there’s still a long way to go, and we’re going to keep pushing to build on this momentum for the final event of the season.”
About Sauber Group of Companies
The Sauber Group of Companies is composed of two operational entities: Sauber Motorsport AG, which operates and manages its Formula OneTM team; and Sauber Technologies AG, which focuses on third-party business in the areas of advanced engineering, prototype development and additive manufacturing, in addition to full and model-scale testing in the factory’s state-of-the-art wind tunnel and ground-breaking innovation in the field of aerodynamics. The companies collaborate closely and share know-how to apply the expertise of more than 550 dedicated individuals at the headquarter in Hinwil, Switzerland, to all internal and external projects.
The Sauber Group puts sustainability at the heart of its mission; its business, operating under the ISO 14001 environmental management standard, has been carbon neutral since 2011 and the company has achieved the Three-Star level in the FIA Environmental Accreditation Framework.
Since its founding in 1970, the innovative Swiss company has been setting standards in the design, development and construction of race cars for various championship series, such as Formula One, DTM, and WEC. Following its own Formula One debut in 1993, Sauber Motorsport AG has established one of the few traditional and privately held teams in the sport. A member of the exclusive club of teams which competed in more than 500 F1 races, it celebrated 30 years in the sport in 2022 and continues to go from strength to strength on and off the track.
