Baku, very close to the points

The Feature Race that concluded the twelfth round of the FIA Formula 2 Championship season, held on the fast Baku street circuit, saw the Trident Motorsport drivers finish outside the points zone. Nonetheless, the signs from both Martinius Stenshorne and Laurens Van Hoepen are decidedly encouraging for the season finale.

Starting from seventh on the grid, Martinius Stenshorne made a perfect start. The 19-year-old Norwegian was quick to capitalize on a rival stalling at the start to move up to fifth place. Amember of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, Stenshorne continued his excellent start, moving up to fourth place on the second lap. Unfortunately, at the start of lap five, a contact from an opponent sent Stenshorne wide under braking for the first corner, causing an inevitable impact with the barriers. With the front end of his car visibly damaged, the Norwegian driver was forced to give up. This doesn't take away from him the excellent performance, which he demonstrated in yesterday's Sprint Race.

Unlike his teammate, Laurens Van Hoepen opted for a different strategy, starting on the Soft tires, the hardest compound brought by Pirelli to Baku. The other Trident Motorsport driver's strategy, however, was thwarted by the safety car called out following Stenshorne's accident.

The 20-year-old from Rotterdam, starting from 20th on the grid, found himself having to run most of the race on the softer compounds, inevitably losing precious tenths. Despite this handicap, Van Hoepen managed to finish the Feature Race in seventeenth place.

With the Azerbaijan weekend concluded, the FIA Formula 2 Championship is now taking a two-month break. The next round of the series is scheduled for the last weekend of November at the Lusail circuit in Qatar.

Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager: "This weekend we saw encouraging signs. Martinius Stenshorneshowed great potential, but contact with a rival prevented him from realizing it. We are very satisfied with the Norwegian driver's performance on his debut weekend in the category. Laurens van Hoepen also had a positive debut, showing solid pace at times, but was not helped by the race neutralization."