Trident F2 drivers finish race 1 outside the points zone in Imola. The low grid position due to a tough qualifying session prevented Verschoor and Williams from aiming for the top-10 despite a solid run.
The FIA Formula 2 Championship held its first European race of the year at Imola, with the series’ teams and drivers taking part in Saturday’s Sprint Race. In the qualifying session, the Trident Motorsport drivers did not find the right chemistry with the track overlooking the Santerno River and were unable to perform at the level experienced in the first two events of 2022.
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The situation was mainly due to some technical choices that did not give the expected results. Richard Verschoor got no further than P20 and was followed one place by teammate Calan Williams. In the initial phase of the Sprint Race, the 21-year-old driver from the Netherlands managed to climb to P13, but was unable to make a profit. Williams finished just behind Verschoor and delivered a performance in line with his teammate. On an “old style” and narrow course like Imola there were few overtaking opportunities and the positions quickly crystallized. After the first race in Imola, Verschoor is fourth in the drivers’ championship.
The double tenth row on the starting grid of tomorrow’s Feature Race will certainly not make it any easier for the Trident Motorsport drivers. However, the chance to take advantage of pit stop strategies in the feature race, with a mandatory tire change, could open up more opportunities. The Feature Race starts at 10:20 a.m., a few hours before the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Giacomo Ricci, team manager: “Today’s results were clearly determined by the not-too-sharp qualifying session. Our drivers didn’t find the best chemistry with the Imola circuit and returned to the series after a long time. After the short free practice, the team made some technical choices that did not yield the desired profit, affecting the qualifying results. I think both Verschoor and Williams performed at a higher level in the Sprint Race than the day before, but overtaking is always quite rare at Imola, especially when the cars are on trains with the DRS activated. We will have to make the most of our strategies tomorrow and take every opportunity that will arise in the main race to try and recover.”