Monaco, no points in the opening race in the Principality

The FIA Formula 2 Championship kicked off its fourth round of the season on the Monaco street circuit, with the drivers of the junior category competing in the Sprint Race today. On the scenic and challenging Monaco track, the weekend immediately got complicated for the Trident Motorsport drivers.

During qualifying, which was split into two groups to avoid traffic and minimize risks, both Laurens Van Hoepen and John Bennett were involved in two incidents.

The first was the 22-year-old Englishman, who made a mistake in his fast lap, bringing out the red flag. As per the rules, Bennett's best time was cancelled. Van Hoepen's qualifying was even more difficult, as he was hit at the Harbour chicane and did not complete a single lap.

Starting from the last row of the Sprint Race, the Trident Motorsport drivers immediately tried to make their way forward. When the lights went out, Laurens Van Hoepen, attempting to overtake, gained positions but cut the first corner.

The twenty-year-old Dutchman's infraction was punished with a ten-second penalty to be added to the end of the race, thus jeopardizing his excellent comeback. Van Hoepen had in fact managed to climb the standings until crossing the finish line in fifteenth place.

The penalty dropped the Dutch driver to nineteenth place, just ahead of teammate John Bennett. Due to the narrow layout of the track and the limited overtaking opportunities, the twenty-two-year-old Englishman was unable to make his way forward and had to settle for twentieth place.

The Trident Motorsport technical staff will now use the data collected from today's race in their usual preparations for the Feature Race, scheduled for tomorrow at 9:25 a.m.

Giacomo Ricci: “Today our drivers ran the race we expected, after a difficult qualifying session. They were both penalized by their position at the back of the starting grid. Van Hoepen made up a few places and showed good potential. However, regardless of the penalty, it was impossible to think of scoring points today. Bennett, on the other hand, remained relegated to the back of the pack. Now we need to be fully focused to best prepare for tomorrow's Feature Race and try to exploit strategies to recover in the pit lane.”