Out of the points in the first race in Hungary

The FIA Formula 2 Championship kicked off its tenth round of the season at the Hungaroring, near Budapest, with the drivers of the second formula competing in today’s Sprint Race. From the qualifying session onwards, both Trident Motorsport drivers, Sami Meguetounif and Max Esterson, were unable to find a strong pace on the Hungarian circuit, posting the eighteenth and twentieth fastest times, respectively.

Starting from the back of the grid, the drivers of the Milan-based team, with its operational headquarters in Ossona, faced an uphill battle. The layout of the Hungaroring circuit, narrow and twisty, certainly didn't help the drivers, who, despite their best efforts, remained relegated to the back of the grid.

Both Meguetounif and Esterson attempted to use the only neutralization, which occurred on lap 22, to close the gap on their rivals. Then, in the final two laps, when hostilities resumed, the Trident Motorsport drivers attempted to move up the order. Sami Meguetounif crossed the finish line in seventeenth place, while Max Esterson finished in nineteenth.

The Trident Motorsport drivers will have a better chance of making a good impression, given their lower starting position, in the longer Feature Race scheduled for tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., thanks to the mandatory pit stop that leaves room for different strategies.

Giacomo Ricci, Team Principal: "It was a disappointing race, hindered by the difficulties we had in finding a competitive pace in qualifying, which relegated our drivers to the back of the grid. On a track where overtaking is very difficult, our drivers had no chance to recover and aim for the points. In the Feature Race, which leaves room for strategy, we may have a few more opportunities."