Picturesque Circuito de Jerez is located in the wine growing region of Jerez de la Frontera in the South West corner of Spain. Situated halfway between Gibraltar and Seville this mountainous area of Spain is a beautiful summer getaway location just off the Atlantic Ocean.

Temperatures this time of year start to build in the last days of Spring as the venue gets ready to host its round of the Logitech Pro Invitational Series. A Hot destination for hot racing, and a key moment during the series.

Speedcafe Lobs Esports driver Dylan Rudd has just assumed the lead of the championship, after Robbie Gibbs led the opening two rounds, and now has an 8 point margin back to Ric Kuznetsov’s Vermillion Motorsports machine.

However, the pack is coming, and coming fast.

The big key here is the changing Margins and I’ll highlight 8 drivers to really set the tone:

If the entirety of the Lobs Esports outfit have another strong race from Jerez it's very likely that they draw level with the Trans Tasman Drivers of Madison Down and Brady Meyers. That could be critical at this early juncture in the championship and gives them some leeway to have another off round.

On to the track!

It's a tricky little circuit! It has flow, corners that double back on themselves and the critical aspect of setup is the mid corner rotation. The corners are extremely long, and the load on the tire is immense. 

13 corners over a 4.42km lap, 8 to the right and 5 to the left.

Lots of run-off areas means the chances of a safety car go down, and we could end up with 3 races on the trot without one. 

250km of racing across 57 laps. Fuel tank range without saving is going to be 31 Laps, with some saving you could easily extend that out to 33 or beyond. It's a long stint, and it's not likely to happen.

Even stint length is 19 laps, expect undercuts to start from lap 15. If you’re in a big pack and you can’t make ground as the tires wear off (particularly if you’ve been able to look after the tires well).

Keep in the back of your mind whilst watching any car that hangs onto its tires. Why? Better long run pace gives you options. If you fall off on lap time by 0.2s per lap less than another car you can undercut them and not be punished by it.

Whilst on the topic of pit lane, pit entry here is difficult. Going over the white lines on the way in is one of the easier ways to kill a strong result. It's very tight, and on the surface looks simple… Until you get suckered in and have to serve a penalty. I’d expect at least 2 pit entry penalties, could easily be more.

Setup and driving style are basically a flat Phillip Island. Longer corners means setting the car in the mid corner is the focus and trying to drive as straight on the exit as possible on the exit. Drivers are looking to preserve tire in the curved acceleration zones out of the corners and that might be critical.

Corner entries to prioritise lap speed are actually wider than you might expect, that's an invitation to slice down the inside and get a move done. Could this result in a busy night for the stewards? We always hope not, but it is relevant to the racing regardless.

I’ve got Luke Rosella down to finally finish a race cleanly. He has a rear of grid start for multiple driving infringements from Red Bull Ring. Tough season surrounded by a new team and a huge opportunity. I’ll follow his night because driving from the back of the field proves a driver’s mettle. I want to see him tame it down a little, get things back on track and then press forwards again.

Brenton Hobson sits 10th in the points, but has run quiet races. The difficulty for Hobson is he relies on experience and staying clean to finish well. A newer track requires a bulk amount of laps he’s not capable of and I expect a worse finish as a result. Outside 20th, is my call, but if chaos breaks out expect Hobson to be the driver that comes out the other side.

Ethan Grigg-Gault is a tricky driver to evaluate. When he’s good he’s winning races. When he’s average he fills out the top 10. Something about this track is just crying out at me that he is on for two podiums in a row. Where he is on the podium I am very unsure about.

James Scott and Jarrad Filsell should be talked about as a compare and contrast situation. Scott is Mr Qualifying at the moment and his races reflect his outright speed, but also a free track around him. We are yet to see him in a cluster of cars and making his way through. How he handles that will define his season.

Filsell on the other hand is Mr Race Pace. Rear of the field to front at Sebring before the race exploded, P2 at Phillip Island from pole (arguably his worst drive of the season), and
Red Bull Ring he was on a charge, fastest stint pace in the field whilst making overtakes. Supremely impressive, honestly at this stage I have him down to win the title, but boy is it going to be tight!

Do they round out the podium? Maybe. Trans Tasman’s pace at Phillip Island was better and that's our best judge for pace. One of this pair on the podium, the other inside the top 5.

Andrew Gilliam is my pick to be the outside threat. His strategy gamble at Red Bull Ring paid off and he improved his race at the cost of middle stint pace. He’ll do something different again for sure! I’d love to see another Gilliam podium, but that's a brave call. I’ll back him in this week though, 3rd it is!

Who are your driver’s you want to watch? Is there someone I haven’t mentioned?

Hit up the comments, I’ll be keeping an eye on this one and will keep a closer eye on your picks!