Richard Verschoor takes commanding F2 sprint race victory in Saudi Arabia
Richard Verschoor took a commanding victory in the FIA Formula 2 sprint race in Saudi Arabia after biding his time before a move for the lead.
Dennis Hauger, Richard Verschoor, and Paul Aron on the podium in Jeddah. (Formula Motorsport Limited/Supplied)
There was an air of anticipation in Jeddah ahead of the second round of the championship, with many teams suffering disappointing results in Bahrain and polesitter Oliver Bearman called up by Ferrari for F1 reserve duties.
It was Paul Aron who began the sprint on reverse-grid pole but Verschoor was able to stick with the Estonian, through a safety car restart and into a duel for the lead on lap eight.
In clear air and only slowed briefly for a virtual safety car, Verschoor broke free of DRS range and romped home to take the chequered flag.
“I’m super happy to win today for Trident Motorsport,” said the Dutchman.
“We have worked hard for this, we didn’t have the easiest time in Bahrain, but I am super happy and proud of the team to be able to get away with the win today. “
“We are ready to push again for tomorrow.”
Richard Verschoor leads the Formula 2 sprint race in Jeddah. (Formula Motorsport Limited)
Dennis Hauger followed Verschoor’s lead and overtook Isack Hadjar for the final podium position before overtaking Aron in the final stages for second, with the polesitter completing the podium.
The first interruption to the race came on lap one, with ART Grand Prix driver Victor Martins squeezed into the wall with the midfield bunched up after several awkward starts on the grid.
Among them was Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who started fifth but fell to almost the rear of the field after a clutch issue of the start.
The Mercedes junior driver put on a display of the raw talent that saw him promoted directly to Formula 2, making his way back through the field to seventh.
He told RACEWEEK after the race that his start was due to an issue finding the second clutch bite point, but that he was proud of his fight through the field, attempting to battle as well for fastest lap in the final stages.
Franco Colapinto and Zak O’Sullivan were both on the back foot at the start, the pair of Williams drivers stalling off the grid and restarting from pit lane behind the safety car.
With the field much more competitive than in Bahrain, Zane Maloney still showed glimmers of the pace that took him to the first ever opening round sweep, fifth at the line after starting fifteenth.
The main action was the late-race battle between Kush Maini, Jak Crawford, and Josep Maria “Pepe” Martí, with Maini eventually pulling ahead as Martí and Crawford duelled for the final points position before the American took off down the road, finishing in sixth ahead of Kimi Antonelli.
Richard Verschoor celebrates victory in the F2 sprint race in Jeddah. (Formula Motorsport Limited)
None of this was a concern for race-winner Verschoor, finishing ahead of Hauger and Aron.
“From the first lap I had very good pace, I felt strong at the beginning of the race but also after all the restarts we did,” said the Trident driver.
“To be fair I really have to give credit to the team for giving me a good car today.”
“I am sure there is some things we can improve for tomorrow even though it will be different conditions. But overall super happy to take 10 points.”
The FIA Formula 2 field returns for the feature race at 12.25am Sunday (AEDT) ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Watch every race of the FIA Formula 2 season on Kayo Sports.
