MURPHEY TAKES VITAL WIN: Title Rival Fisher Hit With 3-Place Grid Penalty After Brake Trouble

Early Chaos and Dual Supremacy

The final four races of the season began with drama in qualifying, as Fisher secured a shock pole position despite his Mercedes looking unsettled. However, the race start saw the expected ferocity from Murphey, who drew alongside and briefly took the lead into Turn 1. Fisher fought back around the outside to retake P1, but the intense battle continued.

Down the long straight, Murphey launched another challenge, and an error from Fisher on the exit allowed Murphey to seize the lead. This set the stage for one of the most exciting opening exchanges of the season, with the lead duo—Murphey, Fisher, and Bono Huis (Ferrari FDA Esports) swapping positions constantly.

On the long straight at the end of the lap, Huis attempted to pass both drivers, making contact with Murphey as he briefly took the lead. Telemetry data confirmed the intensity: Fisher and Murphey swapped places an astonishing 36 times over just seven laps, dominating the world feed.

Pit Lane Drama and Penalty

As the pit window opened, Huis and Fisher opted to pit first. However, Fisher suffered close drama, running wide on pit entry and crossing back over the track, forcing him to continue for an extra lap. Fisher radioed his team complaining of a "lack of stability in the front brakes," while his team warned of "front temps are too high."

The extra lap cost Fisher dearly, as he lost a position in the pit stop sequence, emerging in P3. Huis successfully undercut Murphey to take the race lead, though Murphey immediately reclaimed P1 using DRS.

Further bad news struck the Mercedes garage: Fisher's teammate endured a separate incident, making contact with the wall on pit exit due to cold tyres.

Fisher then used his DRS advantage to pass Huis at the banked corner for P2. However, his struggle with overheating brakes persisted, and as the race neared its end, he lost the position once again. Out front, Murphey was pulling away, extending the gap from P1 to P3 to 7.5 seconds by the flag.

The Championship Flips

Shane Murphey took the crucial victory, with Huis holding P2 and Fisher crossing the line in P3.

To compound Fisher's woes, post-race stewards investigated his pit entry deviation. Matthew Fisher will receive a three-place grid penalty for the next race for failing to follow the race director's notes when entering the pit lane.