After Verstappen, a second Dutchman in F1? 'It's quite possible'

18:00, 02 Jul

byLudo van Denderen

With a bit of luck, alongside Max Verstappen, we may see another Dutch driver in Formula 1 in the near future. Current Formula 3 driver Laurens van Hoepen, despite a challenging season, could make the jump within a few years. Talks with F1 teams are already underway.

At the end of the interview, Van Hoepen wishes to make a small caveat: “I don't want to come across as a whiner who doesn't look at himself and blames everything on others. That's not it. But at the moment, things aren't going as they should,” he says.

Van Hoepen's woeful season

The F3 title was his goal, but for now, Van Hoepen plays a supporting role in one of the feeder classes to F1. Often through no fault of his own. Take, for example, the main race in Austria, where the Dutchman was disqualified for out-of-regulation tyre pressure.

Or earlier, a crack in the chassis of his ART car, something that was only discovered late. And the power unit, for some reason, was not powerful enough. Changing engines is not so simple in F3. Moreover, it seems difficult for his team to find the right setup for the new generation of F3 cars that debuted this year - something its rivals did manage to do.

“We're driving on the limit, you put in a really good lap and then you look at the board and see yourself in fifteenth or something. There are many ways to set up these cars, but we haven't quite figured out what works. I'm just very slow on the straights. On the data, I see that I'm faster than my teammates in every corner, but there I am, behind them,”

Laurens van Hoepen faces a season full of setbacks

After all the bad luck and setbacks, Van Hoepen currently stands only thirteenth in the standings. A layman seeing this might think the Dutch driver is not good enough. “Such a season really ruins everything. Luckily, I did show some things last year and I'm still showing good stuff now. But, you just want to win.”

“I'm not here to finish thirteenth, I want to win. And not just win on Saturday [in the sprint race]. I want to win on Sunday. It's frustrating. I do feel that I'm really good. But due to many different things, it just doesn't happen. That's just really disappointing.”

Van Hoepen in talks with F1 teams

Despite the tough year, Van Hoepen has good prospects for moving up to Formula 2. A third year in F3 is not in his plans: “I don't want that either. I'm ready to drive in F2. I'm trying to make the right choices for that. A good example is Alex Dunne. He wasn't really good in F3, and now he's second in F2. So, it just shows how important the car is. We're talking to a few good teams, which is positive.”

Van Hoepen is not currently affiliated with a Formula 1 team, but that might change. “It's still important to have as many options as possible, but we're talking again with several Formula 1 teams. Is it realistic? It depends on the rest of the year. If we can make a step. If we can't make a step, then it's about next year.”

Will Van Hoepen drive in F1 next season?

Van Hoepen cannot elaborate on the names of F1 teams. However, he does say: “You need to have teams with potential. Next year there are new regulations in Formula 1. So that could shake things up a bit. But it's not like I can join Mercedes.”

Aston Martin recently announced the start of its own Academy. “Aston Martin could be an option, but it's all longer term. I myself don't get involved in that. I just try to focus on my job and get the best out of the car.”

Van Hoepen is not considering other championships like the World Endurance Championship or Formula E. “No. Maybe I'll do a test, but I'm certainly not going to race GT or anything. Next year it's really F2. The ultimate goal is still F1. And that's what we're fully focused on.”