Pwjones goes to Texas with a clear measure of how close he came: one lap from a first IMS win, then 0.662 seconds behind his team-mate at the flag. Williams got the one-two in Spain. Pwjones got another second place and a reason to want the order reversed.
Jhazztan had needed two stops to beat his team-mate’s one, taking the lead on the final lap. His reaction gave the runner-up credit: “Ggs no idea how u managed those tyres 😭”. Pwjones had matched his best IMS finish, but the driver admiring his tyre management was also the driver taking the trophy.
The last-lap defeat gives Pwjones a useful starting point for Texas. Pwjones has shown he can bring a race to the brink of victory against the man now leading D2. He has also seen how little comfort a lead can offer when the other Williams arrives with enough left to attack.
The first win and the title lead are different pursuits
Jhazztan has 49 points to rbn’s 39. Pwjones is fifth on twenty-three, twenty-six behind his team-mate after leaving Singapore without a point. Beating Jhazztan in Texas would move his own campaign forward as well as settle the immediate disappointment; the standings still make rbn the leader’s nearest challenger.
Aston have reason to expect more than a supporting role. Rbn took pole in Spain, and Martim recovered third from him on the final lap. Both finished behind both Williams, however, leaving Aston with thirty-five points against fifty-three. Williams now lead the D2 constructors 72–58.
That is the useful tension inside the Williams garage. Another one-two would strengthen the team’s lead, but repeating Spain’s order would leave Pwjones waiting again. Jhazztan, meanwhile, has started with two podiums and has his own championship to protect. A shared car colour does not give them a shared finishing target.
McLaren bring a change to the field: HackoDK has accepted a regular D2 seat for round three and is currently checked in alongside Tedhead. It gives McLaren a new pairing to assess in Texas, without a result together yet to judge.
Both Williams and both Astons are also currently checked in. Pwjones has already supplied the second scoring car Williams needed after Singapore. The next target is more personal: finish the race in the position he held when Spain’s final lap began.
