Convincing race pace for the Trident Motorsport drivers

The FIA Formula 2 Championship kicked off its fourteenth and final round of the season at the Yas Marina circuit, just outside the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, where the drivers of the junior formula competed in the Sprint Race today. Due to their limited experience, Trident Motorsport drivers Laurens Van Hoepen and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak posted the nineteenth and twenty-second fastest times, respectively, in the qualifying session.

At the start, the two drivers of the Milanese team, with headquarters in Ossona, immediately attempted to make up ground, with Van Hoepen taking advantage of the chaotic start to gain positions. The twenty-year-old Dutchman, in his third race in the series, had already had the opportunity to measure up to his rivals and stood out in fourteenth place.

Rookie Inthraphuvasak also got off to a good start, climbing from the back of the grid to twentieth place. After several laps featuring close battles, including a Virtual Safety Car on lap eight, the race continued at a steady pace.

Thanks in part to the track layout, which doesn't allow much room for overtaking, there were no incidents that could hasten the recovery of the two Trident Motorsport drivers. At the end of a solid race, Laurens Van Hoepen finished fifteenth, while Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak finished eighteenth in his debut race.

The Trident Motorsport drivers will now analyze the data collected in the Sprint Race with the technical staff in preparation for the Feature Race. The long race, which includes a mandatory tire change, will also allow the technical staff to play the strategy card to try to finish in the points.

Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager: “The qualifying result impacted the outcome of today's Sprint Race. As always, if you're further back on the starting grid, it becomes difficult to recover, especially with two drivers making their first outings in the category. Both drivers performed at a competitive level. They were alert in the chaos of the opening meters of the race, gaining positions. Afterwards, they set a solid race pace, but having cars racing in compact groups didn't make overtaking easy. What Laurens Van Hoepen and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak showed certainly bodes well for tomorrow's Feature Race, where strategies could help us recover.”