Van Hoepen shifts full focus to Monaco after disappointment in Canadian F2 feature race

At Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Van Hoepen showed his full potential following what had already been a strong start to his F2 campaign. The Trident driver was more than two tenths quicker than the rest of the field in qualifying, securing his maiden Formula 2 pole position. He then battled his way from P10 to fourth in the Sprint Race before things went wrong after another strong start on Sunday.

Van Hoepen started the Feature Race from pole position and was leading when he made a mistake and crashed into the infamous Wall of Champions. "I was a bit angry with myself after Sunday, but apart from that I'm positive and I feel good," the 20-year-old Dutchman begins.

Despite that, Van Hoepen refuses to let the crash define his weekend. According to him, there were plenty of signs that should provide confidence for the remainder of the Formula 2 season.

When asked about the incident, the Dutchman can pinpoint exactly where things went wrong on Sunday. According to Van Hoepen, it all started with a small mistake on entry to the final chicane.

"I braked quite late, but that was still okay. I just hit a bit too much of the kerb, which gave me a snap," he explains. "And when you get a snap at that point... I corrected it, but you still need the space, and you just don't have that space in that corner. So then I was done."

The moment the car stepped out, Van Hoepen already knew what was coming. "As soon as I had that snap, I knew it wasn't going to end well. At that moment I already thought: okay, this is going to be a big hit. So that was frustrating."

Even so, disappointment is no longer the dominant feeling. The pace shown by Trident in Canada has left Van Hoepen feeling optimistic about the races ahead.

"Like I said, it happened. But we're quick, and that's positive. Of course there's still a lot of room for improvement, including in terms of outright pace. But we're definitely in a good place and we just need to keep that momentum going," the Dutch driver continues.

That was particularly evident in qualifying, where Van Hoepen comfortably outpaced the rest of the field. "That pole was pretty cool. And I think it was the biggest gap of the year as well. So that was really nice," he says about the lap that put him more than two tenths clear of the competition.

The focus has now shifted fully to Monaco, where the next Formula 2 round takes place. Van Hoepen hopes to be competitive once again, although he is keeping expectations in check after his strong performance in Canada.

"Normally the circuit suits me quite well," says the Dutchman. "But we came into this season expecting to be in the top ten first and foremost. We're still fairly early in the season, so I think the main goal is to qualify in the top ten, maybe the top seven, and then score as many points as possible from there."

According to Van Hoepen, his pole position in Canada does little to change that mindset. "We were on pole, which is great, and we're performing above expectations. But it's important to keep both feet on the ground and not immediately raise those expectations. The goal is still to qualify in the top ten and score as many points as possible from there," Van Hoepen concludes.