Lebigre and deJong shine in rain-hit Suzuka round of Porsche Esports Supercup
Florian Lebigre won the Sprint and took the championship lead at the third round of the 2026 Porsche Esports Supercup World Championship at Suzuka, while Mitchell deJong claimed his first Main race victory of the season in wet conditions on 3 October.
The midway point of the 2026 Porsche Esports Supercup World Championship season delivered drama and tactical intrigue at Suzuka Circuit on Saturday. Florian Lebigre of Verstappen Sim Racing earned his second Sprint win of the season from pole position, while Mitchell deJong of Coanda Esports claimed his first Main race victory after a rain-soaked 30-minute encounter that saw drivers split on tire strategy.
Lebigre dominated the Sprint, leading all eight laps to secure 25 points and the pole for the Main race. Cooper Webster of Oracle Red Bull Sim Racing finished second, with deJong third. The qualifying session had seen Lebigre set the fastest time with a 1:58.267, earning his second pole of the season after his opening-round success at Spa-Francorchamps.
The Main race began in chaos. Hady-Noah Mimassi of Grid-and-Go.com eSport led off the line, but multiple incidents erupted at the start, collecting several cars including Xander Reed and Agustin Torlaschi. Sebastian Job and Gustavo Ariel tangled at the first corner, with deJong caught up and falling to tenth. Mimassi, Warren, and Collins ran clear early on, but halfway through the race the track began to moisten. Lebigre and Webster pitted immediately for wet-weather tires, followed by most of the field. However, deJong and several others stayed out on slicks, gambling that the rain would not fully develop.
The gamble paid off for deJong. As conditions worsened, Charlie Collins overdrove into Spoon Curve and crashed out. deJong and Elvis Rankin clawed their way forward as the rain intensified. With eight minutes remaining, deJong took the lead from Dayne Warren, who had inherited it when Mimassi struggled on dry rubber. The track then dried slightly before rain returned even heavier, magnifying mistakes. Warren hit the incident limit and was penalized to 18th; Mimassi also reached the limit and retired after contact with Lebigre. Alejandro Sánchez finished second and Rankin third, but deJong held on through the treacherous final laps to claim victory.
Lebigre accumulated 72 points across the day—10 for pole, 25 for the Sprint win, and 37 for fourth in the Main—moving into the championship lead. deJong scored 76 points (50 for the Main win plus earlier results) and sits second. Lebigre acknowledged the pressure: "If I think about the championship too much, I'm going to stress, and when I stress, it's not so good." With two rounds remaining at Interlagos and Monza, he will need to maintain momentum against deJong, Cooper Webster, and Sebastian Job, the two former champions also in contention.