26 LEAD CHANGES: Murphey Wins High-Octane Texas Battle Keeping Title Race White-Hot 

Murphey Triumphs in Texas Thriller After Red Flag Chaos; Title Battle Intensifies as Fisher Finishes 0.007s Behind

The Texas Grand Prix delivered a race for the ages, culminating in an epic, wheel-to-wheel battle that saw Shane Murphey (McLaren Shadow) claim victory by a mere 0.007 seconds over his championship rival, Matthew Fisher (Mercedes AMG Esports). The result was a stunning recovery for Fisher after a catastrophic power spike triggered a red-flag-causing pile-up, solidifying this rivalry as the most famous in Tier 1 Esports F1.

Chaos Strikes Early at COTA

The race began with Murphey on pole position alongside Bono Huis (Ferrari), while Red Bull locked out the second row with Jos Van Hallen (P3) and Tom Manley (P4). Championship leader Matthew Fisher started from P6.

As the lights went out, the action was immediate. Huis, Manley, and Van Hallen all got poor starts, but Fisher, true to form, executed one of his signature lightning starts, climbing into P3 by the first corner. The top three settled into Van Hallen, Murphey, and Fisher.

The battle for P2 erupted quickly. Exiting the back straight, Fisher used the Mercedes’ superior slipstream to draw wheel-to-wheel with Murphey. A minor mistake by Murphey on corner exit allowed Fisher to execute his renowned "slingshot" move, claiming P2 and igniting the latest round of the Fisher vs. Van Hallen rivalry.

Fisher needed just two laps to close the 0.9-second gap to Van Hallen once DRS was enabled. After executing a perfect dummy on the back straight, Fisher claimed the lead on Lap 3. He then used an almost Schumacher-esque weave to break Van Hallen's tow, inducing slight instability under braking and effectively shaking off the Red Bull.

Power Spike, Pile-Up, and the Red Flag

Pure drama unfolded on the following lap. Fisher’s car suffered a sudden hybrid power spike, pitching the Mercedes into a high-speed spin at the first corner. Stunned viewers and Mercedes fans could not believe their eyes as the sister Mercedes of Sebastian Gunthenstiner then spun directly into Fisher. Fisher's reaction on the radio summed up the moment: "You're f**king kidding me!"

The incident, coupled with several cars further back colliding while attempting to avoid the stricken Mercedes duo, forced the race director to deploy the Red Flag.

When the race got back underway, both Mercedes drivers were allowed to restart from the positions they held at the time of the Red Flag: Fisher in P9 and Gunthenstiner in P10.

The Relentless Comeback

The restart saw Fisher unleash another rocketship start, immediately vaulting to P5 and swiftly claiming P4 after Adam Chadwick's Ferrari wobbled on throttle at Turn 1. Fisher then engaged Van Hallen, executing a supremely late braking manoeuvre on the back straight to take P3.

Out front, the two McLarens were fighting, with Murphey pushing his teammate, Lucas Thomas, wide at the COTA Tower. This allowed Fisher to sneak past into P2. Fisher quickly reported back, noting: "McLaren looked a mess offline, that's one to note how dusty it is out there."

The true fight was now on. Could Fisher claw back the two-second gap to take an improbable victory, or would Shane Murphey secure his first win on American soil? The two leaders pulled five seconds clear of P3 and battled relentlessly, swapping the lead an astounding 26 times by the halfway stage.

Photo Finish: Murphey By 0.007 Seconds

As the race entered the closing stages, Fisher had moved into the lead, but Murphey kept the pressure constant. On the final lap, Murphey launched a move, but Fisher managed to outbrake the McLaren. Murphey lined up another attack on the back straight, using the slipstream to draw level. The two touched at the COTA tower before battling side-by-side into the final corner. Fisher attempted another slingshot out of the corner, but fell short by just 0.007 seconds in a thrilling photo finish.

The result means that while Murphey took a crucial victory, Fisher's P2 recovery minimized the damage, keeping the title fight razor-sharp.