Dramatic final in Spa-Francorchamps

The Feature Race, which concluded the eighth round of the FIA Formula 2 Championship season in the Ardennes, saw both Trident Motorsport drivers finish outside the points. Despite a mixed qualifying performance, John Bennett and Laurens Van Hoepen failed to break into the top ten during the longest race of the Spa-Francorchamps weekend.

There was a major scare following a violent crash involving Laurens Van Hoepen. The 20-year-old Dutchman—who was staging a recovery drive after starting sixteenth on the grid—made a mistake and slammed heavily into the barriers. The Trident Motorsport driver lost control of his car on the kerb during the eighth lap; the vehicle hit the barriers before bouncing back onto the track. Despite the heavy impact, the Dutch driver emerged from the cockpit unharmed.

Debris scattered across the track and a fire that broke out on the car forced race control to display the red flag.

After retiring from Saturday's Sprint Race, John Bennett started Sunday's race from fifth on the grid. The 22-year-old Briton tackled the first part of the race on medium-compound tires. While this choice allowed him to extend his opening stint, it also forced Bennett to fight hard to hold his position. However, the Trident Motorsport driver soon slipped to sixth place, despite maintaining a solid race pace.

Immediately after the restart—which took place on lap ten behind the safety car following the red flag—Bennett pitted to switch to super-soft tires. On this compound, the 22-year-old Briton was unable to maintain consistent pace through to the end of the race. Bennett subsequently lost several positions, eventually finishing the Feature Race in sixteenth place.

The Trident Motorsport drivers will soon have another chance to get back on track. Next weekend, the FIA Formula 2 Championship cars will be back in action at the Hungaroring circuit near Budapest.

Giacomo Ricci: “We are left unsatisfied by today’s Feature Race. The prospects were promising, with John Bennett qualifying fifth and showing a good overall level of performance. Laurens Van Hoepen was involved in a heavy impact with the barriers that caused the race to be stopped. Our driver was unhurt, but the car sustained severe damage. John Bennett’s strategy did not prove ideal given the dynamics of today’s race; in the closing stages, the British driver suffered significant tire degradation and dropped out of the points.”