Five things we learnt from the USA West GP

It's been almost three weeks since a wild USA West GP, both during and after the race. Time to review all the experiences.

Stefan Schubert is still struggling

It was actually assumed that Stefan Schubert's knot had burst in last year's season. The oldest driver in the field scored points for the first time in Germany and managed to do so in a further three races, the four points in Portugal being the highlight. Schubert sr. was able to keep up with the field to some extent and deliver solid performances. But he has lacked this so far in 2025. He just doesn't seem to be at one with the new cars yet and is struggling accordingly, as was again evident in Austin. Schubert sr. remains the only regular driver from 2024 without points. However, the Swabian recently received new steering wheel hardware; his son already reports that Schubert sr. feels much more comfortable with it.

Jan Wiegels still not gaining momentum

It is probably not easy for Jan Wiegels: The German had probably hoped for more when he switched to Falcon; instead, he slid into drama surrounding the car, driver and team boss. And so it is not surprising that Wiegels has had a lot to contend with so far this season. Many small mistakes, including the accident with Heiko Kolvenbach in the last race, have resulted in a rather disappointing 14 points in 2025, but with the new situation at Falcon from Canada onwards, the German could rise above himself and finally lead Falcon to more points.

Benjamin Reinhardt becomes the leader of the midfield

The corks must have popped at Simspark after the fourth race of the season. With fourth place, Benjamin Reinhardt was able to celebrate his personal best result in his still young VFC career. The Hungarian is getting better and better with every race and has now established himself as a strong midfield rider, even preparing to become the leader of the midfield. If the Hungarian maintains this form, Simspark can expect to score a lot more points.

Tim Hauck continues to improve

Hardly anyone would have expected Tim Hauck to become a regular points scorer. It was actually assumed that the young German would only bring home points in exceptional races or with a lot of luck. After four races, Hauck has collected an impressive 19 points, all on pure pace. His highlight so far was the last race, where Hauck put in a very strong performance with the support of Heiko Kolvenbach in his ear and was also able to fend off the Blue Horns of Jörn Dicks. As a result, Hauck is suddenly in sixth place in the drivers' championship and has led Ottimale to seventh place alone. This trend is set to continue.

Marc Schlüter dominates - and retires

This announcement had been expected in the last few days after all the escalation. Schlüter had won his second race of the season, absolutely dominated and was leading the world championship.

And then the accusations of cheating arose. The logs showed strange fuel changes and the pace was extremely fast and strong. Teams and drivers sensed cheating and threatened to withdraw, and the pressure on Schlüter increased. Although the accusations could not be fully substantiated, Schlüter eventually withdrew due to growing pressure. In his statement, the German emphasised that the league was above all else and therefore wanted to preserve unity with his resignation.

The question now is what the future holds for Schlüter. For now, the 2024 world champion is no longer part of the VFC.

And the World Championship battle could come down to fewer drivers.