Van Hoepen's Formula 1 future takes a new turn toward 2027

Laurens van Hoepen is eager to become the next Dutch driver in Formula 1. In the ideal scenario for the driver from Wassenaar, he would have a full-time seat in the premier class in 2028 and a role within an F1 team’s academy next season. Van Hoepen previously confirmed he was in talks with various teams about this.

One of those teams was Williams, for whom he completed a Test of Previous Cars (TPC) in Hungary. The team was impressed with the 21-year-old. GPblog then asked team boss James Vowles how likely it was that Van Hoepen would join their academy.

“That is very likely,”the Brit said at the time. “He still has a lot to do, but there’s a reason we’re talking to him. Our academy is in good shape; we’ve got talent from top to bottom. It’s very likely. Let’s see how he performs for the rest of the weekend, but he did great.”

A few months on, it appears Williams will not be moving forward with Van Hoepen after all. The current Formula 2 driver is said to have multiple options within the sport, but the British outfit is not (or no longer) among them, this website has learned. For 2027, there are currently no plans involving the Dutchman at the team for which Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz compete in F1.

That by no means suggests that Van Hoepen’s Formula 1 career is dead in the water. It’s quite possible he is on the verge of signing with another team. In Madrid, for example, the Dutchman was in the F1 paddock during the second free practice session, where he is said to have spoken with F1 teams.