Van Hoepen on Canada F2 pole: “We understand each other much better”

Credit: Formula 2

Trident’s Laurens van Hoepen took pole position for the first time in Formula 2 with a stellar qualifying lap in Canada. 

The Dutch driver has been the central figure in a massive upswing of form in his maiden F2 season, lifting his team’s spirits early in the season. Trident’s last pole position came back in 2024, when Richard Verschoor took pole around the Baku Street Circuit. 

Once again, on a street circuit, it was the two Trident cars who nailed the 30-minute qualifying session, timing their laps to perfection in a session of two red flags and a dusty street circuit. 

“I think it just comes down to the hard work we've been doing with the team. You know, we're all comfortable with each other,” said van Hoepen, who is already into his fifth race weekend with the team. “We start to understand each other much better and better,” he mentioned, speaking to DIVEBOMB after the qualifying session. 

Van Hoepen also believed the strong turn of pace set during pre-season testing had a major role in the team’s strong start to the season, allowing him to get the best out of the Trident package at his disposal. “I think we've been strong since pre-season testing and in the first couple rounds, where I was just able to extract quite a lot from the car, which was nice,” the Trident driver expressed, speaking on his strong pace to begin the season. 

Trident’s strong pace in F2 has certainly been a revelation. In stark contrast to their Formula 3 unit, which has punched above its weight and secured three drivers’ titles on the bounce, the F2 unit has been one of also-rans, finishing a highest of ninth in the championship till date.

“We're kind of changing that this year. And yeah, we've been pushing hard,” van Hoepen said, speaking on the team’s progress behind the scenes. 

“It's difficult to say really one thing that is missing, or that wasn't there before, which is now. But overall, I think it's just the way we've been working together that really makes a difference,” the Dutch driver mentioned, looking into the growing synergy in the team. 

Proof of this lies in the way the team approached qualifying for the Canadian round. With no prior data to work with, it would all be about the crucial 30 minutes of practice and learning on the go, a stern test that Trident aced all through qualifying.

At the end of the first half, van Hoepen was running up in third, having capitalised on the slipstream from Joshua Dürksen’s Invicta to sit only a tenth off Rafael Câmara’s benchmark time. 

“We did a lot of preparation in the simulator to make sure that you're ready for a track like this. We really focused our attention on all the tricky parts of this track,” van Hoepen highlighted, speaking on the team’s approach to the race weekend 

“That made me really prepared for what was coming. Free practice was good. So it also gave me some more confidence into qualifying. 

“And the main thing is to start strong and then keep trying and keep it there lap by lap,” van Hoepen said, on his pace during the session. It was the approach of looking to stay towards the front that kept van Hoepen consistently in the hunt for a top-three start, at the very least. However, the crucial moment came late in the session, down to the final lap, as the Trident man was pushed down to 10th with others improving their lap times. 

Despite the high stakes and the pressure of a fast-paced F2 qualifying session, van Hoepen always remained confident, even if the odds were stacked against him in the session. “I knew straight away if I made a mistake, where to improve and how to fix it. And that just made the session a lot easier,” van Hoepen affirmed, exuding his belief in the team’s efforts. “Then I think it was just a bit tricky with that penultimate lap, where I was falling to 10th, that a lot of pressure came from that last lap to do a good job,” he continued. 

Perhaps the key element in the Trident man’s pole lap was a long-range slipstream from Dürksen, once again. While his lap was on par with provisional pole sitter Alex Dunne at the end of two sectors, it was in the final sector where van Hoepen gained big, eventually stopping the clocks a quarter of a second clear of his rival. “We knew that the tow was going to be powerful here. So it's definitely something we took into account.” van Hoepen acknowledged, highlighting the team’s game-changing decision during the session. “I definitely had a bit of tow, which for sure helped. So yeah, it came together quite nicely,” he mentioned, backing his high-risk, high-reward approach of running close to another car on his flying lap. 

Van Hoepen starts on pole for Sunday’s Feature Race, which could potentially see threats of rain hitting the circuit once again, as it did in Miami three weeks prior. The Dutchman believes he is prepared for any type of race to follow on the day. “You just have to be open-minded and prepared,” he mentioned, confident of a strong showing on Sunday. 

The Trident man starting on pole only adds another layer of intrigue to a new venue, with a title bid already brewing between himself and fellow F3 graduates Nikola Tsolov and Câmara. The trio will be looking to make the best out of the race weekend once again, chasing valuable points to set up their campaign, before the F2 championship heads to familiar grounds in Europe.