F2 top performers praise each other: 'I'm quite impressed how well he's doing'

13:33, 29 Jun

Updated: 13:43, 29 Jun

byLudo van Denderen

One is the experienced driver, the other the young talent who made an impression during FP1 in Austria in a Formula 1 car. Richard Verschoor and Alex Dunne have in common that they have emerged as the main candidates for the title in Formula 2. At the request of GPblog, the drivers have explained to each other what makes the other so good.

Verschoor feigns surprise: "So we have to praise each other? But I still need to fight him in the championship, so I cannot be too nice." Alex Dunne, the star of Friday, in his McLaren F1 car as a replacement for Lando Norris, then laughs: "Nothing, he's terrible."

Verschoor on Dunne

Still, Verschoor can certainly think of why he's in a title fight with Dunne. "What Alex is doing at this age, we have to say as well, very young. Doing very well, getting up to speed very quickly, already from Melbourne, you could see that he was on it."

"I'm quite impressed how well he's doing, and then he even impressed everyone even more by doing a super good FP1, if I'm not mistaken, not even on new tires. Very very impressive and I'm happy to be fighting him," concludes the Dutchman, who won the feature race in Austria.

Richard Verschoor won in Austria

Dunne on Verschoor

Dunne, the runner-up in that same race and sitting in P2 behind Verschoor in the standings, sees in his opponent a 'very talented driver'. "You always hear people say and people always ask him the same question of you've been in F2 for a long time, blah blah blah, but I think you may have been in F2 for a long time but you still have to be a good driver to do what he's doing," says the Irishman.

"That absolutely, no matter if you're in F2 for one year or ten years, it doesn't matter. You still have to be a good driver and be capable of what he's achieving right now. And I think that shows. Week in and week out, he's always there. In qualifying, he's always fast. In the race, he's always fast. In the race, he makes good decisions."

Dunne also believes that Verschoor didn't always have the chance to show what he was capable of in previous seasons. "This year he's got the opportunity and he's making good use of it, which is nice to see. Weekend in, weekend out, he's always there. I know that I always have to be on top of my game because if I make some small little mistake, then he's going to make the most of it."