Montreal, a bitter end to a top-notch weekend
The Feature Race, which concluded the third round of the FIA Formula 2 Championship season, held on the semi-permanent Montreal circuit, saw Trident Motorsport miss out on the points. The slightly damp track and some chaotic moments of the longest race of the weekend cost both Laurens Van Hoepen and John Bennett dearly.
Despite the best pre-race expectations, both drivers of the Milan-based team failed to reach the checkered flag. Starting from pole position, after a hesitation at the start, Lauren Van Hoepen quickly regained the race lead and attempted to pull away. The 20-year-old Dutchman set the pace, setting a good pace, despite the first drops of rain beginning to wet the Montreal asphalt.
The damp track tricked Van Hoepen, who clipped the slippery kerb at the final chicane and crashed into the "Wall of Champions." Although he emerged unscathed, the impact forced the Trident driver to retire immediately.
John Bennett's race ended a few laps later. Starting from fourth on the grid, the twenty-two-year-old Englishman maintained a consistent top-five position. However, the second safety car deployment created chaos, with several drivers, including Bennett, called to the pits for their mandatory pit stop.
During this time, given the frenzy in the pit lane, the English driver collided with a rival in the pit lane. Like his teammate Van Hoepen earlier, Bennett was forced to retire.
The FIA Formula 2 Championship will now take a two-week break. The engines of the second series will restart from June 4th to 7th on the Monte Carlo street circuit, where the European season will begin.
Giacomo Ricci: “This weekend we showed very solid potential, we were protagonists on track and conquered the pole position. Unfortunately, two incidents during the race prevented us from achieving our goals. Laurens Van Hoepen, after dropping to second place at the start, had regained the lead and was trying to pull away. His contact with the wall in the very early stages of the race put an end to a promising race. The damp asphalt and chaotic phases during the neutralizations affected this Feature Race in Montreal. A contact in the pit lane, however, ended the race of John Bennett, who had a top-five position in sight and all the potential to do well. Unfortunately, during a hectic pit stop with a very crowded pit lane, we were unable to avoid contact with another car. Now our attention is already turned to the next round in Monte Carlo with the goal of returning to the top of the standings.”