A convincing runner-up finish in front of the home crowd
The FIA Formula 2 Championship kicked off its tenth round of the season at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, where the drivers of the junior category competed in the Sprint Race today. In front of their home crowd, Trident Motorsport delivered an extremely positive race, culminating in John Bennett's second-place finish.
The British driver delivered a solid and hard-fought race, leading the way for a long time before finishing on the second step of the podium. Laurens Van Hoepen also delivered an excellent performance, finishing eighth in a comeback race, securing important championship points.
Yesterday's qualifying session saw Bennett post the tenth fastest time, while Van Hoepen finished the session in eighteenth place. Due to the reversed top ten times on the starting grid for Saturday's race, Bennett started the Sprint Race from pole position, while Van Hoepen started from fifteenth, benefiting from the penalties imposed on other drivers.
When the lights went out, Bennett made an excellent start, holding onto the lead. Van Hoepen, however, immediately gained ground, passing a rival and moving up to fourteenth. After just one lap, the twenty-year-old Dutchman managed to climb further up to thirteenth place.
The situation changed on lap five, when race officials called the safety car onto the track following a collision at the first chicane. This neutralization eliminated Bennett's advantage, forcing the twenty-two-year-old from Salisbury, to start from scratch.
At the restart on lap seven, Bennett resolutely defended the lead at the first braking point, while Van Hoepen was in twelfth place. The British driver then attempted to close the gap on his pursuers, managing to extend it to four tenths by the end of the next lap.
On lap nine, however, Bennett was forced to relinquish the lead, unable to use DRS to defend himself ahead of the first braking point. The Trident Motorsport driver remained in touch with the leader, remaining firmly in second place. Meanwhile, Van Hoepen continued his climb up the order, moving up to eleventh place.
In the second half of the race, the Dutchman was particularly assertive. After staying in the slipstream of his rivals, Van Hoepen overtook another driver to move up to ninth. Two laps later, he completed another overtake, thus entering in the points.
Bennett, however, continued to match the leader's pace, staying in close contact with the lead and attempting to close the gap. The race was again neutralized at the end of lap 16, necessitating the deployment of the safety car once again.
At the restart, just two laps from the checkered flag, Bennett maintained second place. In the closing stages, the Briton authoritatively managed his position, crossing the finish line in second place and earning a valuable podium in Trident Motorsport's home race. Van Hoepen, on the other hand, defended eighth place until the checkered flag, completing a strong comeback and placing both cars of the Milan-based team with headquarters in Ossona in the points.
Today's result allows Trident Motorsport to start their home weekend in the best possible way, with a podium and a double point finish. The technical staff will now be able to use the data collected in the Sprint Race to prepare for tomorrow's Feature Race, which will offer further opportunities thanks to strategy and the mandatory pit stop.
Giacomo Ricci: “We're pleased with today's performance. John Bennett drove a competitive Sprint Race, starting from pole and holding the lead for several laps before finishing second. He showed excellent pace and great race management skills. Laurens Van Hoepen also mounted a solid comeback. Starting from fifteenth, he recovered to eighth place, entering the points. It was a positive day for both of our cars, and now we'll carefully analyze the data collected to best prepare for tomorrow's Feature Race.”