Richard Verschoor scored eight points for the FIA Formula 2 Championship at Albert Park Street with a sixth-place finish in the main race. The 23-year-old TeamNL talent has been little rewarded for the speed he has shown on the Australian street circuit. In qualifying, the Trident pilot scored for the third time and was on his way to a podium finish in the sprint race when he spun due to a competitor's maneuver. In the main race, Verschoor, who started from third place, had to deal with excessive tire wear in the first stage, after which the safety car period also became unfavorable for the Dutchman. So sixth place was the highest possible.
After a tough opening weekend in Bahrain, Richard Verschoor and the Trident Racing team bounced back strongly in Jeddah two weeks ago and showed their speed. The 23-year-old TeamNL talent wanted to continue that streak in Melbourne, with the third round of the FIA Formula 2 Championship on the calendar at the Albert Park Street Circuit. The tough street circuits suit Verschoor well and so the Dutchman was hoping to turn his speed into a top result in Australia.
Fifth place in free practice was already a strong start. The playoffs have gone much better. On his last fast lap, Verschoor jumped from 14th to 3rd in a more than excellent manner! The Trident pilot also looked back with satisfaction. “With two red codes and several yellow flags, qualifying was chaotic. It didn't feel right running on the first set of tires. Things went better immediately in the second set, but I wasn't able to complete the first fast lap because of the red code “Then there was another round and the pressure was on. That round was good, which led to third place. The adjustments we made worked. I'm proud of the team, the car was good.”
Third place in qualifying means an eighth starting spot for the sprint race due to the top ten positions. There was an immediate collision at the start, which moved Verschoor up to seventh and the safety car appeared at the front of the field. Shortly after the restart on lap six, Verschoor took another place and immediately joined the group vying for places two through six. On lap 10, the drivers in front of him made things so difficult for each other that Verschoor saw his chance and moved into fifth with a nice overtaking move, only to immediately dive into a gap inside the turn that could put him in third. The knight made next to the Dutchman However, a steering error occurred and a spin occurred, causing Verschoor to spin and stop next to the track. Instead of an almost certain podium position, the Trident pilot saw his race end prematurely.
“It's a pity, because there could have been a podium for sure. The speed was really good. This spider was very unhappy. I wanted to pass Antonelli, but he turned and spun, so I turned a little further, and I ended up on the curbs.” Then it also spun. Tomorrow is a new race and new opportunities. “The car felt good again, so I'm looking forward to it,” said Verschoor, who was immediately ready to compete despite the bad luck.
With a third pole position in the main race and the speed on display, there were chances of a podium position. However, with the safety car arriving at the wrong time for Verschoor, things were not going well for the Dutchman either. At the start, Verschoor, who started on the soft tyres, was able to maintain his third position. However, the “soft stuff” quickly diminished for the Trident pilot, causing Verschoor to drop to sixth place on lap seven. Like the drivers around him, Verschoor stopped on lap 10 to switch to harder tyres. The Trident pilot returned to the track in 15th place, but was then unlucky because several other drivers managed to pit during the safety car period and suddenly ended up in front of the Dutchman instead of behind. Verschoor rode almost in eighth place and managed to pass two other riders and finished in sixth place.
“This was not the result we wanted and what could have been achieved given the speed. “The soft tires wore out too quickly and we lost time,” said Verschoor. With his sixth-place finish, the TeamNL talent earned eight championship points, bringing his total to Twelve.
Images: jgpimages
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