Trident driver, Verschoor, managed to put a scoreless Bahrain season-opening weekend behind him at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit as he notched his first win of the year. This victory also continued his impressive record of winning at least one race in each season he has contested. It was Verschoor’s second victory for the Italian team since he rejoined them over the off-season from Van Amersfoort Racing. He had previously won the first race of the season for Trident in Bahrain.
The race was full of action and drama right from the start. Pole-sitter Paul Aron managed to make it back-to-back podiums for Hitech despite facing tough competition. However, the real drama unfolded behind the leaders. The Williams Academy pairing of Franco Colapinto (MP Motorsport) and Zak O’Sullivan (ART) both experienced difficulties at the start, failing to launch from the line and having to start the race from the pits. Prema rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli also caused some chaos when he tagged Jak Crawford (DAMS) into a half spin at Turn 2, resulting in damage to Crawford’s front wing.
Alpine Academy driver, Victor Martins, was involved in a collision with Hauger which resulted in him hitting the concrete wall on Turn 2’s exit. This incident caused the safety car to be deployed to manage the situation. Unfortunately for Martins, he has yet to score any points after three races. The race resumed with Verschoor making a decisive move for the lead on lap 8 out of 20, using DRS to overtake Aron into Turn 1. Hauger also made a strong move to claim the second position from Isack Hadjar shortly after.
As the race reached its halfway point, the safety car was called out again to recover Amaury Cordeel’s stalled car at Turn 2. Verschoor took advantage of the restart to create a gap between him and the rest of the field. Hauger eventually managed to overtake Aron with the help of DRS into Turn 1 with just three laps remaining. Meanwhile, Enzo Fittipaldi, Jak Crawford, and championship leader Zane Maloney engaged in a fierce battle for position using the DRS zones to their advantage. Maloney ultimately finished in fifth place after starting in P15.
In the end, Verschoor crossed the finish line in first place, followed by Hauger in second and Aron in third. The rest of the top 10 included Enzo Fittipaldi, Zane Maloney, Jak Crawford, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Pepe Marti, Kush Maini, and Roman Stanek. The race in Jeddah was a true display of skill, determination, and strategic driving, showcasing the talent of the young drivers in the F2 championship.