Trident out of the points in the opening race in Belgium

The FIA Formula 2 Championship kicked off its ninth round of the season at Spa-Francorchamps, the iconic track located just outside Verviers, which today saw the drivers of the junior formula compete in the Sprint Race. From the qualifying session onwards, both Trident Motorsport drivers, Max Esterson and Sami Meguetounif, were unable to find a strong pace on the Ardennes circuit, finishing seventeenth and nineteenth, respectively.

Starting from the second half of the grid made the race an uphill battle right from the start. However, a collision at the start near at the front of the field allowed the two Trident Motorsport drivers to gain a few positions. Both Meguetounif and Esterson then attempted to maintain a steady pace on the fascinating yet challenging Belgian track known as the ‘University of motorsport’.

Another opportunity to close the gap towards the points came with seven laps to go, when asecond Safety Car period saw the drivers pit for soft tires. Excellent judgment from the pit crew of the Ossona-based team allowed Meguetounif to rejoin just outside the top ten. Unfortunately, the 20-year-old from Marseille was forced to stop on the penultimate lap along the Kemmelstraight due to a technical issue that the team is investigating.

Smilarly, Max Esterson managed to take advantage of the softer compound tires to move up the standings, finishing in fourteenth place. Ahead of today's Feature Race, the Trident Motorsport drivers will use the mandatory pit stop to try to differentiate their strategy and aim for the points.

Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager: “Both of our drivers made up a few positions from their qualifying results. During the Safety Car, we opted to pit for soft tires. Max Esterson's comeback ended in fourteenth place, while Sami Meguetounif was forced to retire due to a technical issue, the cause of which is being investigated by the technical staff.”