Verschoor from heaven into hell: disqualification after win in Formula 2

It seemed like the perfect revenge after a disappointing opening weekend in Bahrain: Richard Verschoor crossed the finish line first in the sprint race in Saudi Arabia and could take the trophy for first place. Deception followed a few hours later: the Dutch Formula 2 driver was disqualified for a technical infringement on his Trident car. Teammate Roman Stanek was also dropped from the results.

With his sprint victory, Verschoor seemed to have just got himself into the title race, but his championship aspirations thus still get a big tick. Before it was announced that the Dutchman lost his first place, he told GPBlog about a possible title: "I'll just do my best. I know some people have an opinion about a fourth year in F2. But I also believe that the path is different for every driver. There are a lot of people who believe in me exactly as I do in myself. And I just want to do my best."

Verschoor back on old ground at Trident

In Bahrain, Verschoor did not manage to score any points. But in Saudi Arabia, it initially looked like a return to Trident had paid off for the first time. "Coming back to Trident was something very nice," Verschoor told us. "I had a good season in '22. We did have some technical problems, so we lost some positions then."

"But most of the races were pretty good. I have a good feeling about them. I like the Italian people and the restaurants (laughs). I really wanted to go back, and I am also happy that after the start in Bahrain - which was not the way we wanted - we were able to turn it around now and win the race."

Hauger still winner in Jeddah

The cold shower, however, followed later in the evening. Verschoor's exclusion earned MP Motorsport driver Dennis Hauger the race win and promoted Hitech Pulse-Eight's Paul Aron to second. Van Amersfoort Racing's Enzo Fittipaldi now moves up to third.