Trident takes a good place with Christian Mansell

In the Feature Race that concluded the thirteenth round of the FIA Formula 2 Championship, held on the street circuit of Losail, on the outskirts of Qatar’s capital Doha, the nineteen-year-old Australian driver Christian Mansell, in his second race in the category, took a remarkable sixth place. Trident Motorsport fielded on the starting grid of the Feature Race rookie Max Esterson in thirteenth place and Christian Mansell in twentieth.

Different strategies were chosen for the two drivers: Australia’s Mansell started with tyres of the Option compound, the softest one, while American Esterson was on Prime tyres, with a harder compound. After a regular start, Esterson gained a position, moving behind Hadjar, while Mansell climbed to eighteenth place. Christian Mansell made his pit stop for Prime tyres on lap seven.

Esterson remained on track for longer. Meanwhile, the Feature Race was neutralised from laps eight to sixteen due to two incidents. At the restart, Esterson moved up to fourth place, with Mansell in sixteenth. A few kilometres further on, Esterson was hit by Martins and sent into a spin. The car was undamaged, but the New Yorker fell to the back of the field and finished eighteenth. An early pit stop proved crucial to Mansell’s fortunes, as he maintained a solid pace and gained positions, finishing in the points for the third time since his debut in the category in the previous round in Baku. The fourteenth and final round of the season is scheduled for next weekend at the AUE circuit of Yas Marina.

Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager: “We are pleased with Christian Mansell’s sixth position. The decision to start with the Option compounds and change tyres before the two neutralisations certainly helped the Australian driver’s comeback, scoring points for the third time under Trident Motorsport’s colours. Max Esterson also performed at good level, but the American driver fell to the back of the pack due to a collision that sent him into a spin. Both drivers performed at solid paces. We head to the Abu Dhabi final on the back of a result that is certainly positive for the team”.