Incidents in motorsport are always open to debate, especially when they involve teammates and happen in the closing stages of a race, as was the case at Genk. We spoke about the situation — with a cooler head 24 hours later — to the person who arguably has the most difficult role in moments like these: team manager Jeremy Iglesias, himself a former driver.
Published: 25 May 2026
Columns: Interview
Perhaps the hardest job in motorsport is not being the driver. One step above may well be the role of team manager, particularly when situations like the final-lap clash at Genk unfold. With an overtaking attempt on teammate Malheiro Suñe, Viktor Gustafsson threw away much of the excellent work he had built throughout the heats, where he had been among the frontrunners for almost the entire weekend, leaving him with the frustration of taking far less than he deserved from the event.
On the other side, rookie Adrian Malheiro Suñe still managed to secure a landmark result despite the contact. One thing is certain: the atmosphere under the CRG tent after the race cannot have been simple. Twenty-four hours later, we discussed the key aspects of the incident with Team Manager Jeremy Iglesias.
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“The contact between our two drivers less than 400 metres from the finish line, while they were running first and second, was obviously a difficult moment for the whole team,” Iglesias explained. “From a championship perspective, we lost a very important opportunity. A result like that would have allowed us to leave this event holding first and second place in the overall standings, which would have been a major advantage heading into the final round at Sarno.”
On the other side, rookie Adrian Malheiro Suñe still managed to secure a landmark result despite the contact. One thing is certain: the atmosphere under the CRG tent after the race cannot have been simple. Twenty-four hours later, we discussed the key aspects of the incident with Team Manager Jeremy Iglesias.
“The contact between our two drivers less than 400 metres from the finish line, while they were running first and second, was obviously a difficult moment for the whole team,” Iglesias explained. “From a championship perspective, we lost a very important opportunity. A result like that would have allowed us to leave this event holding first and second place in the overall standings, which would have been a major advantage heading into the final round at Sarno.”
At the same time, Iglesias made clear there was no reason to blame either driver. The 2020 KZ World Champion, drawing from his own experience as a racer, understands very well what goes through a driver’s mind on the final lap of a prestigious European Championship round. “Despite this, the team cannot reproach either of its drivers. There were no team orders: both are true competitors and they share the same objective — to win. Viktor is a World Champion who will never stop fighting for victory, and it is exactly this mentality that makes him the great driver we know today. Adrian arrived in KZ as a rookie and wanted to prove that he deserved his place at this level of competition. He did that in the best possible way by taking the win.”
Looking at the bigger picture remains the team’s approach ahead of the Sarno finale. “Above all, the team wants to highlight the extremely high level of performance shown throughout the weekend in both categories. In KZ we came very close to an extraordinary one-two finish, while the performances of our KZ2 drivers in the final certainly did not go unnoticed either. Finally, I would like to thank and congratulate everyone in the team, both at the track and at the factory, who contributed to this result. It is thanks to their work, passion and commitment that we are able to continue competing at this level.”
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