Montreal, competitiveness and good points in the debut race in Canada
The FIA Formula 2 Championship kicked off its third round of the season on the semi-permanent Montreal circuit, which today saw the drivers of the junior category compete in the Sprint Race. The qualifying session favored Trident Motorsport. On his final attempt, Laurens Van Hoepen secured pole position. John Bennett also performed well, finishing in the top 10 for the first time, posting a solid seventh-fastest time.
Starting from eighth place, due to the top 10 positions reversed in qualifying and two opponents receiving penalties, Van Hoepen immediately tried to push his way forward. However, making his debut on the Canadian circuit, the 20-year-old Dutchman lost ground in the early stages. The Dutch driver did notgive up, displaying a consistent race pace that paid dividendsandproved extremely effective in a Sprint Race disrupted by two safety cars and, towards the end, a Virtual Safety Car.
Van Hoepen made no mistakes and took advantage of every opportunity to gain positions, crossing the finish line in fourth place. This result allows the Trident Motorsport driver to consolidate his fifth place in the overall FIA Formula 2 Championship standings, just eleven points behind the championship leader.
Only a collision stopped the excellent John Bennett. The twenty-two-year-old Englishman, starting from fourth place, consistently maintained his position in the top five, displaying podium-caliber pace. Bennett, who was blameless, was hit by a rival and forced to retire on a day when he showed he had the potential to fight for the podium.
Tomorrow's Feature Race could therefore be a chance for Bennett to redeem himself. In addition to his excellent lap pace, strategy could play in the Englishman's favor. But Laurens VanHoepenwill also have to capitalize on his first pole position start in the category to secure the top step of the podium.
The Trident Motorsport technical staff, along with the drivers, will analyze the data collected in the Sprint Race as part of their usual preparation for the weekend's main race, scheduled for tomorrow at 12:05 local time (GMT -4), a few hours before the Montreal Grand Prix.
Giacomo Ricci: "After a brilliant qualifying, the first race held on the Montreal circuit yielded a good result for VanHoepen, who finished fourth overall at the end of a competitive and thrilling race. John Bennett showed good pace, but was powerless to avoid a collision with a rival, which forced him to retire on a day when he could have hoped for an excellent result. We're looking back on a Sprint Race in which we proved competitive with both our cars and laid the foundations for a repeat performance in tomorrow's Feature Race."