Richard Verschoor wins frantic Qatar F2 sprint
Dutchman Richard Verschoor did all he could to stay in the Formula 2 championship hunt from reverse-grid pole in Qatar.
DOHA, Qatar–Richard Verschoor took victory in the FIA Formula 2 sprint race in Qatar after starting on reverse-grid pole and holding off a challenge from Joshua Dürksen.
Dürksen had the best launch and took the lead from the start but Verschoor held on and clawed his way back, staying within the one-second gap required for DRS and making his move on lap four.
Once he was in clear air, the MP Motorsport driver was the fastest on track and extended his advantage, running off to victory through two safety car periods.
Joshua Dürksen and Rafael Villagómez completed the podium.
"Very happy to take the win today," said the Dutchman.
"Not necessarily the race we wanted to win but still, we took home a lot of points. I’m very excited tomorrow because the pace is looking very strong."
The action was concentrated further back in the field, with the Invicta Racing duo of Roman Stanek and Leonardo Fornaroli duelling for seventh place, with the championship leader ultimately coming out on top with a sixth-place finish after his teammate gambled on a two-stop strategy.
Australian James Wharton's Formula 2 debut was ultimately cut short after a collision with Trident teammate Laurens van Hoepen left him stranded in the gravel on the outside of turn one.
A handful of drivers then opted for a two-stop strategy, with Stanek, Arvid Lindblad, Oliver Goethe, John Bennett, Luke Browning, Cian Shields, and Kush Maini all attempting a late dash through the field.
A spin for Shields brought out the safety car once more, but Verschoor was able to hold onto a comfortable lead at the front, while the gamble did not pay off for the two-stop runners.
It was a record-equalling eighth win in the category for Verschoor.
"It was a nice race," said the MP Motorsport driver.
"The start was not so nice, I lost the lead. From there on I think the pace was really strong. I was definitely not very happy with the safety cars. I think I kept my head cool and did two different kinds of restarts. They both worked quite well so happy."
Fornaroli maintains his lead of the championship with his sixth-place finish taking him to 191 points, with Jak Crawford second on 170 points, and Verschoor third on 162 points, just one point clear of Luke Browning.
It remains all to play for in the junior series, with the feature race underway at 12.20am Monday (AEDT).
