Trident have confirmed the signing of John Bennett for the 2026 Formula 2 season, completing their driver lineup, following the signing of Laurens van Hoepen.
Bennett joined the F2 grid at the end of the 2024 campaign and since has achieved two point finishes, and in his first full campaign this year, he finished 22nd in the Drivers’ Standings.
Prior to that, the British driver finished as the runner up in the 2021 Ginetta GT5 Challenge and also in the 2024 GB3 Champion.
Bennett is now returning for a second full season in F2, and is happy to be doing so with Trident.
I’m extremely happy to race with TRIDENT Motorsport in the 2026 FIA Formula 2 Championship. I am very grateful for this great opportunity and to continue fighting in the second tier. I can’t wait to get on track and achieve excellent results together. Bennett on the news.
We are very pleased to announce that John Bennett will race for Trident Motorsport in the 2026 FIA Formula 2 Championship. He is a driver we had the chance to observe during the recently concluded season, where he showed solid development. I am confident that the British driver has all the qualities needed to work well with our technical staff and deliver a competitive campaign. Giacomo Ricci, TRIDENT Team Manager.
Laurens van Hoepen will race with Trident in 2026 the team has confirmed, stepping up to FIA Formula 2 full-time next season.
The Dutch driver has raced with the Italian team in both the Baku, Lusail and Yas Marina rounds, gaining valuable experience ahead of the 2026 season.
During the F3 campaign this season, van Hoepen achieved two podium finishes en route to P12 in the Drivers’ Standings.
I’m excited to compete in next season’s FIA Formula 2 Championship with TRIDENT Motorsport. The experience gained in the three appearances I made in this championship has been very useful in preparing for this step. Together with the technical staff, we made progress that will be fundamental for next year. We have an intense and challenging season ahead of us. van Hoepen on the news.
We are very pleased to announce that Laurens Van Hoepen will contest the 2026 FIA Formula 2 Championship with Trident Motorsport. He is a driver we’ve had the chance to get to know and appreciate in the final part of this season. After his positive debut in Baku, Van Hoepen immediately felt comfortable with the team. I am sure the Dutch driver has all the qualities required to do a great job with our technical staff and to compete in a highly competitive season. Giacomo Ricci, Trident Team Manager.
Trident have announced that Noah Stromsted is set to return for a second campaign in Formula 3 with the team – completing their lineup for 2026 following the announcements of Freddie Slater and Matteo de Paolo.
The 18 year old had a stellar rookie campaign in 2025, finishing sixth in the Drivers’ Championship with 84 points after achieving three podiums, which included a victory in the Spa-Francorchamps Sprint Race.
Prior to that, Stromsted stepped up to single seater racing in 2021, and had success immediately, ending up second in the Danish F4 Championship with nine wins in 11 races.
The Danish driver also competed in six races of the 2022 Spanish F4 Championships before returning for a full campaign in 2023, achieving three podiums.
The year before stepping up to Formula 3, Stromsted achieved four podiums on his way to finishing sixth in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine.
Stromsted is now set to return for another full season of Formula 3 with Trident, and he is more than delighted to be back with the Italian team.
I am very happy to continue with Trident Motorsport in the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship. After completing my first full year with the Italian team, I look forward to building on this experience together, starting with the upcoming category collective test scheduled in Jerez. Our goal will be to fight for wins and ultimately the championship throughout the year. the knowledge I have from this year is going the be very important so we will work hard over the winter to build on that and be ready for 2026. Stromsted on the news.
We are very happy to have Noah Strømsted with us for another year in FIA Formula 3. In his debut season, the Danish driver showed impressive speed, even if the results were occasionally inconsistent. We are confident that, by spending another year with the same team, Noah can become one of the standout drivers of the 2026 season. He is an extremely dedicated young driver, and with more experience, he will certainly feel more comfortable, both with the team and within the championship format. Giacomo Ricci, TRIDENT Team Manager.
TRIDENT have confirmed the signing of Matteo De Palo for the 2026 FIA Formula 3 campiagn.
The 17 year old graduates from the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, where he is currently competing with Trident and sits second in the standings with two rounds remaining. He has taken four race wins so far in 2025, and a further four podium finishes.
Prior to this season, De Palo raced in the Spanish F4 in 2023, finishing fifth overall before moving up to FRECA in 2024.
The Italian is Trident’s second confirmed driver for next season after Freddie Slater was announced earlier in the month. De Palo said he was excited to be stepping up with Trident in 2026.
I am very happy to continue my collaboration with TRIDENT Motorsport as I make my debut in the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship. It will be a huge challenge, and I will give my utmost to make it an unforgettable season. De Palo on the news.
We are extremely proud to announce that Matteo De Palo, currently fighting for the title with TRIDENT in Formula Regional, will race under TRIDENT Motorsport colours in the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship. This is a great source of satisfaction for us because, just like Leonardo Fornaroli before him, Matteo will continue his career path within TRIDENT Motorsport. It will be a significant step for him, as the cars are very different, but we will have the time to prepare him thoroughly. Matteo has already shown, in his second year in Formula Regional, that he is an extremely competitive and consistent driver – qualities that are essential for success in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager.
Trident have announced that Freddie Slater will be driving for the team next season – their first confirmed signing for the 2026 Formula 3 campaign.
Slater is set to step up to F3 full-time after competing in two rounds in 2025 at Sakhir and Spa-Francorchamps, finishing second in the Sprint Race at the Bahrain International Circuit.
In addition to that, the 17 year old has been taking part in a dual campaign in GB3 and Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2025, winning eight races across both categories, and he i currently leading the standings in the latter.
Slater also finished second in this year’s edition of the Formula Regional Middle East Championship, after also becoming the 2024 Italian F4 and UAE Formula 4 Champion.
The Briton is now set to step up to Formula 3 full-time with Trident and following the announcement, he spoke of his excitement ahead of the new season getting underway.
It’s really exciting to start a new journey with a new team. TRIDENT has had a lot of success in recent years, so to be jumping into a team like this, I’m really grateful for the opportunity. Hopefully we’ll have a good season together. Slater on the news.
We are very pleased to announce our agreement with Freddie Slater for the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship. Freddie is an exceptionally talented driver who has consistently shown himself to be among the very best, in every category he has raced, from karting to single-seaters. It is a source of great pride for us to welcome him into the team, and we are convinced that a driver of his calibre will bring significant value to the entire organisation. Trident Team Manager, Giacomo Ricci.
Inthraphuvasak immediately moved to cover off James Hedley at lights out and he retained the lead into the first corner, while Brando Badoer moved ahead of Alessandro Giusti to take P4.
Hedley tried a move at Turn 10 to take the lead, but that allowed James Wharton a chance at second though the AIX Racing driver retained P2 as they entered the final sector.
Just behind them and entering the penultimate corner, Giusti had contact with Ugochukwu which damaged his suspension and left him heading into the barriers, bringing out the Safety Car.
The Safety Car was in at the end of Lap 3 with Inthraphuvasak leading Hedley, Wharton, Badoer and Ugochukwu in the top five.
The American was able to find a pass on his teammate at Turn 13 to take fourth on Lap 5 and he was immediately harrying Wharton for third position.
With DRS on Lap 7, the PREMA driver set up a switchback out of Turn 1 to move up to third place, and by Lap 8 he was onto the back of Hedley, as the Briton remained within half a second of the race leader.
A wide moment at Turn 4 for Hedley on Lap 11 opened the door to the McLaren Development Driver, Ugochukwu moved up to second and set about closing the one-second gap to Inthraphuvasak. Lap 14 and he had closed in on the leader and was into DRS range of the Campos driver.
In the fight for the final podium spot, Hedley had fallen five seconds away and had Wharton glued to his gearbox, but an opportunistic pass by Wurz at Turn 3 gave the Trident driver P4.
Moments later, Noel Leon and Theophile Nael ran off at Turn 4 as they fought for position and made contact as they rejoined, leaving the PREMA driver out of the running and bringing out the Safety Car.
It was withdrawn with a lap to go, leaving Inthraphuvasak to fend off Ugochukwu for the victory in a one-lap shootout.
Wurz was on the move behind them as he dived down the inside of Hedley to take third position at Turn 1. Inthraphuvasak held on though, earning his second Sprint Race victory of the year ahead of Ugochukwu and Wurz.
Day 3-
The race got underway with a rolling start and Camara retained the lead comfortably from pole ahead of Boya and Taponen in second and third places.
Tim Tramnitz’s slender hopes of remaining in title contention took a blow early on as he spun at Turn 7 to fall down the order having started P16.
Ugo Ugochukwu was making quick progress having gone from seventh on the grid, and he claimed P5 on Lap 2 with a pass around the outside of Theophile Nael at the second corner.
While the conditions remained damp, DRS was enabled on Lap 3 and Boya remained within a second of the race leader and his title rival, as the top two began to pull away from the rest of the pack.
The Campos driver piled the pressure on with the fastest lap of the race, and he attempted a move into Turn 2 but couldn’t find the traction to make it stick.
The Safety Car was deployed on Lap 4 with AIX Racing driver Brad Benavides in the tyre wall at the exit of Turn 13 following contact with Rodin Motorsport’s Roman Bilinksi.
Racing got underway entering Lap 7, and Camara retained the advantage out in front while teammate Charlie Wurz moved himself up to P6 at Turn 1 pass on Nael.
Ugochukwu looked set to complete an overtake on Gerrard Xie for P4 at Turn 5 but was tagged into a spin by the Hitech TGR driver. It brought out the Safety Car once again with both suffering race-ending damage and stopping on track.
The Safety Car was in at the end of Lap 10, and once again Camara got a clean restart to head the field.
Nikola Tsolov was on a charge, going from P13 to P10 on the first racing lap back to green. He got the switchback out of Turn 1 on Noah Stromsted to improve to P9 on Lap 12, and then passed James Wharton to take eighth position.
The Australian then slipped back to 10th on Lap 13, as a wide moment aat Turn 13 allowed teammate Laurens van Hoepen by.
Up ahead, Tsolov was on the move once again and he improved to P7 into Turn 1 with a pass on Alessandro Giusti. Before the end of the lap, he passed Brando Badoer at Turn 14 to secure P6.
The Bulgarian closed the gap down to Nael ahead and by Lap 20, he was within a second of the Van Amersfoort Racing driver in the fight for P5.
They soon caught up to the podium battle as they joined Wurz in harrying Taponen for third position, as the clock ticked into two minutes remaining of the Feature Race following the earlier Safety Car periods.
In front of them though, nobody could prevent Camara taking a crowning victory and the 2025 Drivers’ Championship with it.
The full top 10 are – P1: Camara, P2: Boya, P3: Taponen, P4: Wurz, P5: Nael, P6: Tsolov, P7: Badoer, P8: Van Hoepen, P9: Giusti and P10: Inthraphuvasak.
Rafael Camara kicked off the weekend in which he could clinch the title in the perfect way, topping Free Practice for Trident with a 1:33.888.
Brad Benavides and Roman Bilinski were two late improvers to wind up second and third quickest, before a late Red Flag for title contender Nikola Tsolov, who came to a halt in his Campos Racing car, ending the session.
After waiting for improved track conditions, the majority of cars took to the track with 10 minutes gone and it was Gerrard Xie that led the way on a 1:36.476 for Hitech TGR.
Tim Tramnitz lowered the benchmark to a 1:34.619 for MP Motorsport with under half an hour to go, as Mari Boya settled into second 0.2s down on that.
Camara then leapt to the top of the times on a 1:34.138 to go 0.481s clear of anybody with his first flying lap of the day, before title rival Tsolov moved up to second, cutting the gap to 0.3s.
Ugo Ugochukwu lifted PREMA Racing up to third with just over 20 minutes to go, slotting in behind Tsolov. Charlie Wurz was the next to break into the top five, putting TRIDENT 1-2 as he went within 0.263s of his teammate.
The next set of improvements came with 10 minutes left on the clock, with Camara lowering the time to beat to a 1:33.888. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak went to P2 in his Campos, 0.4s off the Brazilian’s P1 time, with Noah Stromsted third a further 0.015s down.
Into the final six minutes and Bilinski cut the deficit to Camara to 0.2s, before Benavides went to P2 for AIX Racing, just 0.064s off the top spot.
The Red Flags were then deployed after Tsolov came to a halt ahead of Turn 12. With three minutes left of practice, the session was not resumed.
Qualifying-
Rafael Camara took a big step towards the 2025 Drivers’ Championship, taking his fifth Aramco Pole Position Award of the season.
Under pressure heading into the final attempts of the day, the Trident driver delivered a 1:32.510 to go less than a hundredth clear of his Campos Racing rival Mari Boya in second. Tuukka Taponen finished third for ART Grand Prix after a late improvement of his own.
Ugo Ugochukwu laid down the time to beat early on, setting a 1:33.436 on his first attempt for PREMA Racing. Noah Stromsted beat that shortly after to go quicker on a 1:33.054, with Laurens van Hoepen going up to second for ART, 0.055s down on the TRIDENT driver’s time.
Camara had been P5 after his first laptime of the session, but his time was deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 4. He immediately returned to the pitlane complaining of too much understeer around the entirety of the lap.
Campos opted to hold their drivers back to run in the gap on an empty track. It looked to pay off them in their first runs, with Boya going to the top of the times on a 1:33.013. Teammates Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak followed by going P2, 0.3s down, while Nikola Tsolov went to fourth after their first laps.
The trio returned to the pit lane while the rest of the field headed back out for their second set of attempts with half the session remaining.
Brando Badoer put PREMA to the top and teammate Noel Leon followed to go P2 momentarily. MP Motorsport’s Alessandro Giusti then posted a time to go quickest, until Charlie Wurz restored TRIDENT top of the pile on a 1:32.737. Ugochukwu followed across the line to go second, losing out on P1 by just 0.001s.
After the second flurry of laps, the top four were separated by just 0.089s, with Camara fifth, 0.110s off his teammate’s leading time.
The Campos trio then delivered their second attempts with Boya returning to P1 on a 1:32.653. Inthraphuvasak went to eighth 0.241s down on the Spaniard, but Tsolov was left P15 going into the final eight minutes of the session.
Into the final attempts and Gerrard Xie delivered an improvement to go up to second for Hitech TGR, 0.010s off Boya’s earlier effort. Theophile Nael went to third a further thousandth behind the Chinese driver, but Tuukka Taponen then went to provisional pole by the same margin, 1:32.652 putting him 0.001s clear of Boya in second.
Camara and Boya then set their final laps, and the Brazilian delivered pole position for the fifth time in 2025 on a 1:32.510, 0.008s clear of Boya who improved one final time to go second again.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Camara, P2: Boya, P3: Taponen, P4: Xie, P5: Nael, P6: Wurz, P7: Ugochukwu, P8: Badoer, P9: Giusti and P10: Wharton.
Slater aced his start to keep hold of the lead into Turn 1 ahead of Stromsted along the Kemmel Straight, the Hitech TGR driver defended into Les Combes, with Bruno del Pino and Wurz following in third and fourth behind them.
Lap 2 and Wurz was able to pass the MP Motorsport driver to make it a Trident 2-3, though the leading pair had escaped out of DRS range to those behind.
Across the line on the following lap, Stromsted had the gap to Slater down to 0.4s and along the Kemmel Straight, the Dane swept into the lead with DRS.
Ugochukwu was on the move, having overtaken Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and del Pino to get to P4 by Lap 3, he cleared Wurz around the outside into Les Combes to take third on Lap 4.
Onto Lap 6 and Martinius Stenshorne put himself into fifth with a DRS pass on del Pino into Turn 5 and set his sights on Wurz, who was less than a second ahead.
Having lost the lead earlier on, Slater fell out of DRS range to Stromsted and Ugochukwu moved himself into second with a DRS pass along the Kemmel Straight on Lap 7.
Just behind them, Inthraphuvasak and del Pino went into battle at Turn 5, and the Campos Racing driver won their fight as the MP driver dipped a wheel into the gravel at Turn 6. That allowed Nikola Tsolov to sneak through for seventh as well.
Wurz was able to take third from Slater on the following tour, while Championship rivals Rafael Camara and Mari Boya passed del Pino into Les Combes to take eighth and ninth places respectively.
Entering Lap 9, Inthraphuvasak fell to eighth in a five-car battle as Stenshorne along with title rivals Tsolov, Camara and Boya fought by Slater.
The Bulgarian passed Stenshorne for fourth place going into Lap 10 to put a car between himself and the Championship leader, but only briefly. Camara used DRS along the Kemmel Straight to break into the top five himself, going ahead of the Hitech driver at Turn 5.
Crucially in the title picture, Boya was hit with a five-second time penatly on the pre-penultimate lap for exceeding track limits. The Spaniard was running in eighth position, but had several other drivers within that window going onto Lap 11 of 12.
Onto the final lap and Inthraphuvasak passed Stenshorne to take sixth place, but teammate Boya couldn’t find a route past at Les Combes to follow.
Up front, Stromsted went untroubled after taking the lead and dominated to earn his first F3 win by six seconds.
The full top 10- P1: Stromsted, P2: Ugochukwu, P3: Wurz, P4: Tsolov, P5: Camara, P6: Inthraphuvasak, P7: Stenshorne, P8: Del Pino, P9: Badoer and P10: Slater.
Day 3-
The formation lap began behind the Safety Car, but still in torrential conditions. James Headley spun at Eau Rouge after aquaplaning off the road, while up ahead, Brando Badoer ran into the back of Tim Tramnitz. It left the PREMA Racing driver with race-ending damage and brought out the Red Flags.
After waiting for conditions to improve, the race resumed under the Safety Car but there was more action as Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak spun in avoidance of his teammate Nikola Tsolov ahead of Turn 8.
The Thai driver tried to rejoin but found himself beached on a kerb, requiring his car to be recovered. The race was then Red Flagged once again, and the announcement that it would not be resumed followed shortly afterwards.
Due to no racing laps being completed before the final stoppage, no points were assigned.
Roman Bilinski immediately covered off Martinius Stenshorne from the front row, but the Hitech TGR driver dived to the inside at Turn 1, while Tim Tramnitz opted for the outside line. The MP Motorsport driver collided with Stenshorne, spinning the Norwegian into the path of Bilinski.
All three were out as a result of the contact, while a great start for Ivan Domingues from sixth on the grid left the rookie with the lead.
The Safety Car was deployed for various incidents on the opening lap, including a collision between Tuukka Taponen and Rafael Camara. The ART Grand Prix suffered a slow getaway and the Trident driver was left unsighted, and with nowhere to go the pair made race-ending contact.
The Safety Car was withdrawn and the Sprint resumed entering Lap 5, with Domingues getting a good restart to lead Noah Stromsted and Laurens van Hoepen in the top three.
Alessandro Giusti had to avoid contact with teammate Tramnitz on the opening lap but his recovery from P10 started with a move on the other MP driver Bruno del Pino at Turn 4.
Van Hoepen fell back from the top two after the restart, but Ramos was right with the ART car, and with DRS on lap 9, the Mexican driver secured P3 into Turn 1.
Lap 12 and Theophile Nael looked to pull off a pass on James Wharton at Turn 1, the pair going wheel to wheel at Turn 1 that left the VAR driver taking to the escape road.
Onto Lap 13 and Van Hoepen lost another spot, this time to Campos’ Tsolov as the Bulgarian driver rounded the ART into Turn 1.
Giusti moved himself into seventh on Lap 15, using DRS to pass Wharton down the main straight. A few corners later, an opportunistic dive to the inside of Turn 5 gave Mari Boya 10th position in a great pass on compatriot del Pino.
Boya’s charge continued at the expense of Leon the following lap, a DRS pass for ninth into the first corner on the PREMA Racing driver putting him in eighth.
With five laps to go, Stromsted began to close back in on the race leader, lapping 0.3s quicker than Domingues and the Trident rookie was on the cusp of gaining DRS once more. But as the pair were about to begin Lap 18, the Dane suddenly slowed, pulling into the pitlane retiring from the race.
It left Domingues to lead home a 1-2 for VAR with Ramos second on a great day for the team, Tsolov was third for Campos.
The full top 10 are- P1: Domignues, P2: Ramos, P3: Tsolov, P4: van Hoepen, P5: Nael, P6: Giusti, P7: Boya, P8: Wharton, P9: Inthraphuvasak and P10: Leon.
Day 3-
Camara aced his start but Nikola Tsolov didn’t, he was slow to get up to speed and fell to eighth by the time they made turn 1.
The Championship leader retained the lead ahead of Laurens van Hoepen and Nael in second and third respectively as the top three built a comfortable gap to Tuukka Taponen in fourth by the end of the first lap.
Contact between Roman Bilinski and Jose Garfias brought out the Safety Car on Lap 3, the pair tangling at Turn 4 and coming to a halt. With their cars cleared, racing resumed going onto Lap 8 and after a great start from P10 on the grid, Martinus Stenshorne claimed P4 from Taponen at the first corner.
The Finn’s day was made worse on the following lap as he slowed and dropped to the back of the field.
Alessandro Giusti moved up into the top five as a result and that soon became fourth, with a pass on Stenshorne into the first corner on Lap 11.
The top three continued to break away from the chasing pack and were two seconds clear by Lap 14, as van Hoepen and Nael remained within DRS range in the lead battle.
Further back, Tsolov moved himself back into the top five with a DRS pass on Stenshorne on Lap 17. Ivan Domingues repeated the move on the following lap to demote the Hitech TGR driver to seventh position.
Lap 18 and contact between Nicola Lacorte and Brando Badoer resulted in the PREMA Racing driver getting stuck in the gravel trap at Turn 1, bringing out the Safety Car once more.
Racing resumed on Lap 21 and van Hoepen was under pressure from Nael in the podium battle. The Frenchman pulled off a brave overtake on the outside of turn 1 to move up to second.
Their fighting allowed Camara to escape up the road and out of DRS range and he went on to claim win number three of 2025 for Trident.
The full top 10 are- P1: Camara, P2: Nael, P3: Giusti, P4: Van Hoepen, P5: Tsolov, P6: Domingues, P7: Tramnitz, P8: Stromsted, P9: Stenshorne and P10: Voisin.
Rafael Camara made a bright start to the Barcelona weekend, setting a 1:29.024 to finish up as the quickest driver in Free Practice for Trident.
The Brazilian logged his best effort on his attempt, and finished the session 0.3s quicker than closest challenger Alessandro Giusti of MP Motorsport. Home hero, Mari Boya was third for Campos Racing.
Teams looked to maximise their track time with relevant running in the only session ahead of Qualifying, so opted to wait before getting serious running underway.
With his first lap of the day, Camara set the time to beat with a 1:29.024 in the Trident, while Giusti slotted into second, 0.322s down on the Championship leader.
Boya made a strong start to his home weekend as he went third-quickest in his Campos, while Martinius Stenshorne and Tim Tramnitz rounded out the top five after the first round of laps.
Trident remained on track, while everyone returned to the pitlane with just over 10 minutes to go, and Charlie Wurz improved to go fourth on a 1:29.615.
With tyre life at a premium in hot conditions, there were very few improvements after the first set of laps in the closing minutes.
Qualifying-
Rafael Camara was in formidable form in Barcelona Qualifying, taking his fourth pole position in the opening five rounds of the 2025 season.
The Trident driver set a 1:28.761 for the top spot, 0.2s clear of Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov and ART Grand Prix driver Laurens van Hoepen in third.
The battle for track position started immediately as drivers sought the ideal place to gain a tow but avoid traffic ahead of them. Eventually Noah Stromsted won a place at the front of the queue with Trident teammate Rafael Camara right behind them.
The Trident pair completed their laps, but they were instantly beaten by Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak on a 1:29.433 who set the early benchmark.
Tuukka Taponen beat that on his first flying lap as ART Grand Prix opted to run their trio off sequence and later than the rest. The Finn pipped Inthraphuvasak by 0.042s, as teammate James Wharton slotted into third place.
Track limits became a big factor as drivers returned to the pitlane, with several drivers losing their original times for exceeding track limits. Tim Tramnitz was one of those along with Tsolov, leaving both without a lap going into the second runs.
Tsolov delivered a time good enough for P4 to kick off second round of laptimes, but Camara behind was flying.
A 1:28.671 put him on provisional pole ahead of the ART’s van Hoepen, while Alessandro Giusti and Tramnitz followed in third and fourth.
Into the final runs, Camara told his team he’d wait to head back out in order to get a clean track, while his rivals rejoined the circuit to try and dislodge him for P1.
But nobody could prevent Camara from sealing his fourth pole of the season. Tsolov and van Hoepen were his closest challengers in second and third after the Campos driver improved on his last attempt.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Camara, P2: Tsolov, P3: van Hoepen, P4: Nael, P5: Ramos, P6: Giusti, P7: Domingues, P8: Stromsted, P9: Taponen and P10: Tramnitz.
Rafael Camara made a positive start to his Imola weekend by topping the timesheets in Free Practice. The Trident driver’s 1:33.091 proved the time to beat ahead of the MP Motorsport duo of Alessandro Giusti and Tim Tramnitz.
Domingues improved to a 1:34.891 but was followed across the line by PREMA Racing’s Noel Leon, who went fastest on a 1:34.740.
Nicola Lacorte set the pace at his home race with a 1:35.682 early on for DAMS Lucas Oil, before the Van Amersfoort Racing driver, Ivan Domnigues, pushed him down to P2 with a 1:35.564.
Track conditions continued to improve and the laps got faster still, and this time it was Brando Badoer on top for PREMA with a 1:34.162, a tenth quicker than his teammate Leon.
But then came the Championship leader, Camara, and he went fastest on a 1:33.433, the Trident driver over seven-tenths faster than Badoer. However, Camara was joined in the top two by Giusti. The MP rookie went to second, 0.245s behind, with Stenshorne third.
Camara continued to improve and lowered the time to beat to a 1:33.353. Tramnitz was right behind the Brazilian at the line and wound up 0.254s off P1.
After a quick trip to the pit lane, the drivers were back out on the track and Camara again improved to a 1:33.091. However, Giusti was even closer this time around, just 0.074s behind his Trident rival.
The Red Flags were out with less than three minutes to go, after Ugo Ugochukwu spun into the gravel at the exit of the Villeneuve chicane, before making slight contact with the barrier.
With not much time left, the session was not resumed with Camara fastest ahead of the MP pairing of Giusti and Tramnitz.
Qualifying-
Rafael Camara made it three consecutive pole positions to start the 2025 season after leaving it late to take the top spot from Van Amersfoort’s Santiago Ramos at a dramatic Imola Qualifying.
The Trident driver completed a 1:32.206 with his final lap of the day to take pole, beating Ramos by over two-tenths, with his teammate Noah Stromsted ending up thrd.
Camaraa picked up from where he left off in Free Practice to go up to P1 early on.
Several drivers were able to improve on their next flying attempts, but the majority of the grid opted to abort those laps, choosing to pit for a second set of medium tyres instead.
With just over 16 minutes remaining, the drivers returned to the track and there were improvements across the board, as several climbed up the timesheets.
But it was Badoer who went fastest on a 1:32.894, to eclipse Camara by just 0.015s. The Italian completed his lap at the right time as the Red Flags were waved moments later, with Campos Racing’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak stuck in the gravel at Acque Minerali.
Running resumed with just over 11 minutes to go and 25 out of remaining 29 drivers went out, as all three Trident drivers remained in the pit lane alongside Callum Voisin.
As the times came through, Ramos went fastest on a 1:32.442 for Van Amersfoort Racing, with Tuukka Taponen his closest challenger in P2, 0.092s.
But as they completed their laps, the quartet in the pit lane returned to the track, and Camara completed his final attempt to go to provisional pole with a 1:32.306.
The Brazilian beat Ramos by 0.236s to seal the first Aramco Pole Position Award as Stromsted also left it late to go to third.
It was a terrific start for the pole-sitter Joshua Dufek who kept a hold of the lead, but AIX’s Slater got ahead of Martinius Stenshorne for P2 at Turn 4 after starting third.
Behind them, Tsolov got ahead of Alessandro Giusti for P4, while Championship leader Rafael Camara had a slow start from P12 and dropped to the back of the field.
Onto lap 2, Slater closed in on Dufek before making a move for the lead at Turn 1. Behind them, Tsolov continued his fine start, overtaking Stenshorne for third at the same corner.
The Safety Car was called upon at the start of Lap 4, PREMA Racing’s Ugo Ugochukwu stopped at Turn 2 after colliding with his teammate Brando Badoer, who pitted with a puncture.
Racing then resumed on lap 7 and Tsolov was flying once again, diving to the inside of Dufek for P2 at Turn 1. The battles intensified on lap 9 as Tsolov again dived to the inside at Turn 1, this time on Slater for the race lead. However, the Campos driver went in too deep allowing the Briton to retake the lead.
Just behind the pair, the battle for P3 was heating up as Dufek, Stenshorne and Taponen almost went three-wide into Turn 4. The latter two eventually made their way past at Turn 10 and 11, with Giusti following them through a few corners later at Turn 1.
Further up the road, Slater and Tsolov were going wheel to wheel once more. The Bulgarian dived down the AIX driver at Turns 4 and 8, but on both occasions, the debutant retook the lead.
However, Tsolov eventually made a move stick with the help of DRS and dived down the inside at Turn 1 again. Behind them, Taponen was now ahead of Stenshorne for P3.
At the start of lap 13 of 19, the top three had begun to separate themselves out in front, while Stenshorne was coming under attack from Giusti and Callum Voisin for P4.
Giusti then went side by side with Stenshorne into Turn 6 and 7, but the MP Motorsport driver had the door closed, putting him into the clutches of Voisin, who made a move past at Turn 11.
On lap 15 of 19, the Safety Car was called upon, with Dufek and Ivan Domingues colliding at Turn 1, causing both drivers to stop by the side of the road.
We returned to green flag conditions at the start of Lap 18, and Slater was right on the back of Tsolov, but the Campos driver resisted all his overtaking attempts. Onto the final lap, Taponen looked to make a move on Slater into Turn 1 but could not make it stick. Tsolov though was able to pull away out in front and went on to claim a record-equalling fourth victory in FIA Formula 3.
The full top 10 are- P1: Tsolov, P2: Slater, P3: Taponen, P4: Voisin, P5: Stenshorne, P6: Tramnitz, P7: Giusti, P8: Ho, P9: Wurz and P10: Stromsted.
Day 3-
It was a great start for Voisin who got ahead of Camara on the brakes at Turn 1, while Charlie Wurz kept a hold of third ahead of DAMS Lucas Oil’s Christian Ho.
Tuukka Taponen was also on the move for ART Grand Prix. From sixth, he got ahead of Bruno del Pino at the start, before overtaking Ho for fourth into Turn 4 on Lap 2.
Onto Lap 3, Camara and Wurz had closed in on the back of Voisin, with the former using DRS to get ahead into Turn 1. However, the Rodin driver’s switchback move got him back ahead at Turn 4.
Camara eventually got ahead on Lap 5, making the same move on Voisin at Turn 1, the Brit unable to get ahead at Turn 4 this time despite his attempts to do so. Wurz and Taponen were now battling for P3, allowing Voisin and Camara to disappear up the road.
Further behind, Alessandro Giusti got himself ahead of Noel Leon for P11 at the same corner. He made a similar move at Turn 1 on the following lap on another PREMA Racing driver, Brando Badoer for P10.
Trident then came on the radio to tell Wurz to stay with Taponen, but at the same time, his teammate Noah Stromsted was coming under threat from Ho and Tramnitz for P5.
The Dane fended off Ho, before the DAMS driver ran wide at Turn 2. This opened the door for Tramnitz to get ahead on the run to Turn 4. On the next lap, the Singaporean lost another position to Nikola Tsolov at the next corner.
Another driver showing tremendous pace was Mari Boya. The Campos driver overtook Badoer for P11 after starting the race down in 20th. Tramnitz and Tsolov then got ahead of Stromsted for fifth and sixth, while Giusti overtook his MP teammate del Pino for P9.
As lap 14 of 22 started, Camara was three and a half seconds clear of Voisin, who was 2.4s in front of Taponen. A DRS train had now formed behind the ART driver, with Wurz, Tramnitz, Tsolov and Stromsted all in the fight for the podium.
After trying for several laps to get ahead of Wurz, Tramnitz eventually got ahead of the Trident driver by going round the outside at Turn 4 on Lap 17.
Taponen had been able to pull out a one second advantage due to the fighting behind him, but Tramnitz closed the gap before pulling off another move round the outside at Turn 4 on lap 19 for third.
Wurz had now dropped to P6 after being overtaken by Tsolov, and was coming under attack from his teammate, Stromsted.
Out in front though, Camara was over six seconds clear across the line as he went on to win his second feature race of the season. Voisin finished in P2 and Tramnitz ended up third for MP.
The full top 10 are- P1: Camara, P2: Voisin, P3: Tramnitz, P4: Taponen, P5: Tsolov, P6: Stromsted, P7: Giusti, P8: Boya, P9: Del Pino and P10: Ho.
Trident’s Rafael Camara picked up where he left off in Melbourne to set the pace in the opening session in Sakhir, his 1:50.984 the fastest time of Free Practice.
The Brazilian driver eclipsed Nikola Tsolov’s early benchmark time by 0.127s to end up fastest ahead of his Campos Racing rival, while ART Grand Prix rookie Tuukka Taponen rounded out the top three.
Van Amersfoort Racing’s Ivan Domingues had the track to himself early on as the rest of the field waited in the pit lane. He set a 1:52.776 to complete the first push lap of the session.
Action started to ramp up with 15 minutes to go as one by one all 30 cars started to head back out onto the circuit. After the first set of push laps, it was Tsolov that set the pace with a 1:51.111, with Rodin Motorsport rookie Roman Bilinski 0.312s behind in P2.
However, Tsolov was down to second as Camara went top on a 1:50.984, putting the Brazilian 0.127s clear in front.
Fellow rookie Taponen went third for ART, over two-tenths back from the leading time, as Van Amersfoort Racing’s Santiago Ramos jumped up to fourth.
The drivers continued to set their best times up until the chequered flag as MP Motorsport’s Alessandro Giusti ended up in P5 ahead of Charlie Wurz and Bilinski.
Qualifying-
Rafael Camara was the one to beat once again, as the Trident driver took his second consecutive pole position of the season, beating out Callum Voisin in an action packed Sakhir Qualifying.
A closely fought encounter between the pair, the Brazilian’s late 1:49.214 was enough for P1, while the Rodin Motorsport driver ended up 0.156s down in second, with Trident’s Charlie Wurz in third.
It was Nikola Tsolov that set the early benchmark though of 1:50.506, putting the Campos Racing driver 0.169s clear of DAMS Lucas Oil’s Christian Ho, with James Wharton just behind in P3.
The entire field was back in the pit lane with 18 minutes left in the session, but after a quick change of tyres, they were out on track for the second set of push laps on their new rubber.
There were plenty of improvements and on this occasion, it was Voisin on provisional pole, thanks to a 1:49.882, putting him just 0.023s ahead of MP Motorsport’s Alessandro Giusti.
Camara went to third ahead of Tsolov this time around, before the drivers returned to the pit lane to put on another new set of tyres.
Setting his lap earlier than the rest of the field, Camara went to P1 with a 1:49.214. Voisin set the fastest first sector but could not overhaul the Trident driver and ended up second, 0.156s down.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Camara, P2: Voisin, P3: Wurz, P4: Ho, P5: del Pino, P6: Taponen, P7: Stromsted, P8: Tsolov, P9: Giusti and P10: Slater.
Ramos held firm into Turn 1, but Bilinski had to fight back past Stenshorne with a late dive into Turn 4 having lots out in the first corner to the Hitech TGR driver. It also opened the door for Campos Racing’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak to follow through, but their fight was far from over.
The Rodin then swept by Matias Zagazeta for second into Turn 9, but waiting in the wings, Inthraphuvasak, went into third around the outside into the chicane. Stenshorne fired back before the end lap, re-passing the pair into Turn 11 to move back into second, while Inthraphuvasak lost out to Zagazeta for fourth before the end of the lap.
A Virtual Safety Car was called upon as the second tour began. Charlie Wurz’s Trident in need of recovering after stopping at Turn 5.
Back to green flag racing on Lap 3, Tramnitz was tucked in the slipstream of Inthraphuvasak and he took fifth with an around-the-outside pass at Turn 9.
The Safety Car was called upon in short order though, Rafael Camara and Laurens van Hoepen both in the gravel at Turn 12 following contact with James Wharton, who also retired at the end of the lap with suspension damage.
Tramnitz had been up to fifth after passing Inthraphuvasak before the Safety Car. But an apparent issue under the Safety Car forced him to slow and drop to the back, before he eventually retired from the Sprint.
Racing got back underway entering Lap 9, with Ramos holding on to his lead from Stenshorne, Bilinski, Zagazeta and Inthraphuvasak in the top five, as they broke away from the rest of the pack.
On Lap 13, Stenshorne got a good run into Turn 11 and forced the Mexican driver to defend the corner, but he couldn’t find a route through. At the back of the leading queue, Inthraphuvasak made a pass stick on Zagazeta into Turn 1 to claim fourth on Lap 15. But their battling allowed the top three to escape three seconds up the road.
Another Safety Car was called upon with five laps to go after contact between Bruno Del Pino and Javier Sagrera into Turn 6, leaving both in the gravel.
The clean up operation meant that there was not enough time to get back to green flag racing, allowing Ramos to lead the field over the line for his first F3 win.
The full top 10 are- P1: Ramos, P2: Stenshorne, P3: Bilinksi, P4: Inthraphuvasak, P5: Zagazeta, P6: Bedrin, P7: Nael, P8: Tsolov, P9: Voisin and P10: Leon.
Day 3-
After several formation laps behind the Safety Car, racing got underway in the Feature Race with a rolling start, and pole sitter Camara launched into a sizeable lead over Stromsted.
The Safety Car was called upon before the end of the first lap however, with Nikola Tsolov and Callum Voisin off the road at Turn 10.
Back to racing conditions entering Lap 6, Camara re-established a healthy gap back to Stromsted in second.
McLaren Development Drivers Ugo Ugochukwu and Martinius Stenshorne went into battle on Lap 8 at Turn 4, the Norwegian slicing his way by the PREMA Racing for P8. Ugochukwu lost another place on Lap 9 to Roman Bilinski after running wide at Turn 11, opening the door for the Rodin Motorsport driver to go through for ninth.
The rain intensity picked up on Lap 11, making things even trickier for the drivers as they fought through the spray, though Camara was taking full advantage of his clear view, five seconds clear of the pack.
The Safety Car was back out on Lap 13, with DAMS Lucas Oil driver Christian Ho in the barriers at Turn 7.
After several laps behind the Safety Car, the Red Flags were thrown on Lap 18 of 20, and with the weather not improving, the Feature Race was called.
The full top 10 are- P1: Camara, P2: Stromsted, P3: Nael, P4: Bedrin, P5: Tramnitz, P6: Wurz, P7: Inthraphuvasak, P8: Stenshorne, P9: Bilinski and P10: Ugochukwu.
Rafael Camara and Trident started 2025 on the front foot, going quickest in Free Practice around the Albert Park circuit.
The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy talent set a 1:34,652 just before a red flag stopped the session later on. He finished ahead of MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz in second and Mari Boya of Campos Racing in third.
It was Rodin Motorsport’s Louis Sharp who got the ball rolling by setting a 1:38.676 and the early time to beat, before lowering that to a 1:37.009 on his next attempt.
Teammate, Roman Bilinski improved on that effort, but Hitech TGR driver, Joshua Dufek set the next benchmark time, 1:36.384 putting him 0.2s ahead of the Rodin in second position. He then lowered his best on the following lap to go onto a 1:35.402.
Mari Boya joined him shortly afterwards, moving himself up to second, just 0.007s adrift of Camara, while his Campos Racing teammate Nikola Tsolov went third quickest behind him.
Tramnitz then took over at the top next for MP, 1L34.892 good enough to better the Brazilian by 0.009s, as the session ticked to the final 15 minutes.
There was one final change of the leaderboard with Camara saving his best effort for last and setting a 1:34.652 to retake top spot. But the session came to an early end as Louis Sharp stopped on the track ahead of Turn 4 bringing out the Red Flags with five minutes to go.
Qualifying-
It was a perfect Friday in Melbourne for Rafael Camara as he topped both Practice and Qualifying, earning the first pole position of 2025. He set a 1:34.999 to lead teammate Noah Stromsted in a great day for Trident. Theophile Nael wound up third, but ended the session under investigation for an unsafe release.
Installation laps complete and it was Roman Bilinksi that set the benchmark time initially with a 1:36.125 for Rodin Motorsport.
Two purple sectors by Camara put him in contention until he caught traffic in the final sector and instead slotted into second less than a tenth back. Trident teammate Stromsted then went fastest overall to become the first driver in the 1:35s in qualifying.
Nikita Bedrin put AIX Racing top of the pile with 10 minutes gone, 1:35.873 the fastest time to beat, while Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and Ugo Ugochukwu improved to go into the top five in third and fourth respectively.
After waiting for clear track, MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz moved into contention to go third fastest, before Camara strung together a traffic-free lap to storm to P1, half a second clear of anybody else.
With under 10 minutes to go, the majority of the field then returned to the circuit on fresh tyres for their final attempts of the session.
There was only five minutes left on the clock when Brando Badoer found the barriers on the exit of Turn 2, requiring a red flag to remove his car from the track.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Camara, P2: Stromsted, P3: Nael, P4: Bedrin, P5: Tramnitz, P6: Wurz, P7: Inthraphuvasak, P8: Ugochukwu, P9: Stenshorne and P10: Bilinski.
Trident have confirmed their first driver signing for the 2025 FIA Formula 2 season with Sami Meguetounif set to step up to the second tier with the team this year.
The Frenchman had a strong 2024 campaign with the team in Formula 3, finishing eighth in the Championship Standings thanks to his two feature race victories in Imola and Monza.
Prior to that, Meguetounif took part in the 2022 and 2023 season of Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine achieving several podiums across his two seasons in the category.
He will now graduate to Formula 2 with Trident, the 20 year old expressed his delight at not only stepping up to F2 but also doing so in familiar surroundings.
I am very happy and excited to make my debut in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Team Trident. When I made my debut in Formula 3 with the Italian team twelve months ago, I did not think I would grow so quickly. This year I have worked with strong, intelligent and determined people. We have had an incredible season, which has allowed me, also thanks to two wonderful victories, to convince those who support me that it was time to move up a ladder. I can’t wait to take part in the Formula 2 post-season tests and enter a new phase of my career. Meguetounif on the news.
We are very pleased to announce that Sami Meguetounif will compete with Trident Motorsport in the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship. We had the pleasure of working with Sami this year in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, obtaining remarkable results, as he has proven to be a winning driver. The move to the higher category represents a natural step at this stage of his career. I am sure that Sami has all the qualities to learn quickly and have a competitive season. Giacomo Ricci, Trident Team Manager.
Trident have announced that Max Esterson will continue racing with the team for the 2025 Formula 2 campaign, which is their first confirmed driver signing for next season.
Esterson stepped up to F2 in Lusail with Trident after completing his first full season of Formula 3 with Jenzer Motorsport.
He achieved two-point scoring finishes across the campaign, including in his debut Sprint Race in Sakhir, also achieving a front row start at Silverstone.
Prior to F3, Esterson began his racing career on iRacing, before making the switch to Formula Ford in the UK and winning the Formula Ford Festival in 2022.
I am thrilled to be able to compete in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Trident Motorsport. Participating in the Lusail race last weekend and the Abu Dhabi final are very useful in this regard. I think I have already understood many aspects of the category. Together with the technical staff, I will work hard this winter to make 2025 a great year. I would like to thank the team, my fans and my family for all their work and support that have allowed me to be where I am today. Esterson on the news.
We are very pleased to announce that Max Esterson will compete in the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship with Trident Motorsport. He is a driver we met two years ago, we have followed him very carefully and we have seen him making remarkable progress. This year, Max has proven to be extremely competitive in his debut in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. I am confident that he has all the qualities to do a good job with the technical staff and be competitive in 2025. Giacomo Ricci, Trident Team Manager.
Trident have confirmed that Max Esterson will drive for the team for the remainder of the 2024 Formula 2 campaign. The American driver steps up from Formula 3 and replaces Richard Verschoor for the Lusail and Yas Marina Rounds.
Esterson made his full-time Formula 3 debut this year with Jenzer Motorsport, securing a front row start at Silverstone as well as two points-scoring results across the season.
Prior to F3, Esterson began his racing career on iRacing, before making the switch to Formula Ford in the UK and winning the Formula Ford Festival in 2022.
It’s great to be making the step up to Formula 2, even if it’s a little sooner than I had imagined. Just two years ago I was running a Formula Ford and winning the FF Festival, and now I’m about to make my debut in Formula 2. It’s all happened quickly but the people closest to me are all confident about my ability to successfully make the jump. I’ve been working hard with the team at Trident and feel I’m well prepared and ready to go. I want to give a special thanks to Maurizio Salvadori and Giacomo Ricci for making this happen, and to the rest of the Trident team for making me feel so welcome. Esterson on the news.
We are excited to finally be working with Max in a race situation. We first met him over two years ago when he was still driving Formula Fords and have closely followed his progress since then. He had some very strong outings this year in FIA Formula 3, his first year in international competition, especially as he was with one of the smallest teams, and on circuits which were almost all new to him. He is smart and has a mature, calm personality; he is hard working, and while he has already shown great pace, he is only in his fourth full year of racing and still learning – so we’re excited to see his progress this year. Trident Team Manager, Giacomo Ricci.
Trident have become the first team to finalise their 2025 Formula 3 line-up as they have announced that Rafael Camara would be racing for them next season.
Camara makes the step up to F3 after a title winning campaign in the Formula Regional European Championship, where he has recorded 10 podiums which includes six victories.
Prior to that, the Brazilian driver had several title successes in karting before graduating to single seater racing in 2022. That year, he finished second in the Formula 4 UAE Championship and third in both the Italian F4 and ADAC F4 categories.
In 2023, he finished third in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship and fifth in his rookie Formula Regional European campagin. He then returned to both categories this year, and after finishing third in this year’s Formula Regional Middle East Championship, the Scuderia Ferrari junior went on to win the FRECA title.
I’m very happy to join Trident, it is such a great Team and it’s very nice to be part of it. I can’t wait to start working with everyone and see what we can achieve together. Of course the expectations are high, I think next year we will for sure be targeting to fight for the championship. I know it will not be easy and we still need to do a lot of work for the moment as it is not only a new car but also a new team, so everything will be new for me. As I said, I can’t wait to start to work. I always want to win but we keep our head down and we do the best we can. My goal is to be prepared for the beginning of the season, to do a good job with the team and do the best I can, always, and be on the top with Trident. Camara on the news.
We are extremely happy and proud to announce that Rafael Câmara will be part of our line-up for the 2025 season. He is an undeniably talented driver, the reigning champion of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, as well as a Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy driver, and we are truly proud to have him with us. Additionally, we are excited to renew our relationship with the FDA program and its drivers. Giacomo Ricci, Trident Team Manager.
Trident have announced that Noah Stromsted will be driving in FIA Formula 3 next season – which is their second confirmed signing for the 2025 season.
Stromsted stepped up to single seater racing in 2021 making an instant impact by finishing second in the F4 Danish Championship as a rookie thanks to his nine wins in 11 races.
The 17 year old then competed in six races of the 2022 Spanish F4 Championship, taking pole position once before returning for a full season in 2023, where he ended up seventh in the standings with three podiums.
This year, Stromsted has been competing in the Formula Regional European Championship and he is currently sixth in the standings having achieved one pole position and four podiums.
The Dane also has previous experience in F3, as he was a final round substitute for Campos Racing this year at Monza, taking part in both Sprint and Feature races.
I am very happy to join Trident for my debut season in the 2025 FIA Formula 3. Their success the past years speaks for itself, I will work very hard to be competitive since the beginning of the season and help the team as much as possible with the development of the new car. I would like to thank Trident for their trust and giving me this opportunity, and of course my sponsors, family, coach and management for making this happen. Stromsted on the news.
We are extremely happy to announce Noah Strømsted in our line-up for the 2025 season. We had the opportunity to evaluate the Danish driver both on our test car and on our simulator and we immediately had excellent feedback. Despite being a very young driver, he is already very mature from our point of view. Noah has been the best rookie in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2024. He is a young guy, with great potential and with a great margin for growth. We are really proud to have him on board our team competing in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, and we are convinced that he will be able to be among the key players of the category in his rookie season. Giacomo Ricci, Trident Team Manager.
Trident have announced their first driver signing for the 2025 season with Charlie Wurz set to join the Italian outfit ahead of his second campaign in FIA Formula 3.
Wurz spent his rookie F3 campaign with Jenzer Motorsport, scoring a season high P5 in Melbourne Feature Race and finishing 22nd overall in the standings.
Prior to that, the 18 year old completed several title-winning campaigns, earning the 2022 Formula 3 UAE Championship and the 2024 Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
Speaking following the announcement of his move to Trident, Wurz spoke of his excitement at joining the title winning team.
I am really happy to have signed with Trident and to race with the team that has won the last two FIA Formula 3 Championships in 2025. The team’s track record could not be more prestigious. I’ve already developed a great chemistry with the team, as we share the same drive and desire to win. I know I have a lot to learn from them. I am already training for next year and cannot wait to get started. Wurz on the news.
We are thrilled to announce that Austrian driver Charlie Wurz is joining the Trident Motorsport family. Charlie is an intelligent and fast driver. As he embarks on his second year in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, we are confident that he will perform exceptionally well in our colours. We look forward to working with him during the post-season tests. Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager.
Campos Racing’s Mari Boya started the Monza weekend on top, setting a 1:38.172 to lead the pack in Free Practice.
The Spaniard saved his best time for last, able to pip Christian Mansell and Callum Voisin who wound up second and third for ART Grand Prix and Rodin Motorsport respectively.
Gabriele Mini was the first driver to put down a laptime, setting a 1:41.324 to lead early on. The Italian lowered his personal best shortly afterwards to a 1:40.583 with the opening 10 minutes gone.
Teammate and title rival Arvid Lindblad had a minor off track excursion at Lesmo 2 as the PREMA driver ran wide and through the gravel but was able to rejoin.
A Virtual Safety Car was deployed with just over half an hour to go after Kacper Sztuka came to a halt ahead of the Parabolica.
With the car cleared, green flag running resumed but a Red Flag followed with 25 minutes remaining. Several drivers ran through the gravel at the Variante della Roggia chicane to leave the track covered in gravel.
Into the final 15 minutes and the times rolled in, with Boya putting his Campos car at the head of the field on a 1:39.998 before Noel Leon beat that for Van Amersfoort Racing by 0.139s.
Luke Browning then put his first time on the board to go quickest of all by almost three-tenths of a second on a 1:39.574. Leon returned to P1 on his next lap to lower the benchmark time to a 1:39.470 heading into the final 10 minutes of running.
Mini then restored himself to the top spot with a 1:38.998, 0.4s quicker than Leon’s effort and comfortably fastest of the title contenders. Mansell lifted himself up the order with a 1:39.153 to go second-fastest for ART Grand Prix inside the final five minutes.
Boya then displaced the Australian to go within 0.031s of Mini’s time until the Italian finished off his final effort to improve one last time.
Qualifying-
Group A- The even-numbered cars lined up to get on track first, including the top three in the Drivers’ Championship.
There was just one time on the board with just over five minutes to go, though Max Esterson’s 2:10.419 was not a push lap as everyone began to play for track position.
Contact between Laurens van Hoepen and Kacper Sztuka out of Lesmo 1 left debris on the track and both with damage, leading to a red flag.
The first segment resumed with five minutes to go and everyone else was straight back out onto the circuit.
Esterson headed out the queue without a tow and recorded the first proper lap to beat with a 1:40.558 but that was beaten immediately.
Luke Browning went quicker but his time was bettered by Mari Boya and Joshua Dufek, with the latter taking provisional top spot with a 1:38.287
Championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli wound up seventh on his first attempt, seven-tenths down on the time to beat. The Italian reset and on his second and final effort, he recorded a 1:38.287 to go quickest of all while title rival Gabriele Mini moved himself up to second at the chequered flag.
Group B-
The odd-numbered half of the grid followed suit in waiting before getting out on track for their first attempts.
ART Grand Prix were the first to blink and sent Nikola Tsolov and Christian Mansell out in front, with the rest of the pack trailing the pair out of the pitlane.
Mansell had overtaken his teammate but then backed off in hopes of gaining a tow as the clock ticked to three minutes remaining. With nobody obliging, the Australian headed up the train for the first attempts but backed off before he completed the lap as others followed suit.
Martinius Stenshorne wasn’t one of them though and recorded the first time to beat on a 1:39.273. That was beaten by fellow McLarn Driver Alex Dunne, who went provisionally quickest in Group B with a 1:38.818.
Everyone had time for one final attempt but nobody could beat the MP driver’s effort, though no one was close to Fornaroli’s time from Group A.
With the results aggregated together, Fornaroli will line up on Pole for Sunday’s Feature Race ahead of Dunne on the front row in P2. Mini will go from third with Meguetounif in P4. Ramos rounded out the top five.
Day 2 Sprint Race-
Before the lights could go out, title contender Christian Mansell radioed into his ART Grand Prix that he was stuck in third gear. A second formation lap was required but the Australian was able to get off the grid, though he had to start from the pitlane for causing the delay.
At the race start, reverse grid pole sitter Tramnitz covered off Dino Beganovic on the run to Turn 1 before going wheel to wheel with Montoya, who had to skip over Turn 2 but settled into second after passing the PREMA driver.
A Safety Car was deployed on lap 2 after Noel Leon and Nikita Bedrin wound up in the gravel after contact at Turn 2 with Tommy Smith, requiring the former cars to be cleared away/
Racing got back underway entering lap 6 but a big snap through Parabolica put Montoya under immediate pressure from Beganovic. However, the Colombian held onto the second into the first chicane.
Joseph Loake and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak ran through the gravel at Turn 4, allowing Lindblad and Fornaroli to move up into the points in ninth and 10th places respectively, with Browning and Mini followed directly behind.
With DRS on the run to Ascari, Fornaroli battled by Lindblad on lap 7 to secure ninth position from the PREMA driver. Teammate Ramos meanwhile was able to move ahead of Beganovic to take third place, and he was quickly onto the rear wing of Campos’ Montoya.
Lap 10 and after two previous unsuccessful attempts, Browning passed Lindblad for 10th position to move into the points. Meanwhile Fornaroli’s charge continued as he passed Mari Boya for seventh.
Montoya stuck with Ramos after being passed and re-took second into the first corner on Lap 12, while teammate Sami Meguetounif was able to move ahead of Beganovic at the same spot. Alex Dunne meanwhile relegated Beganovic to sixth just before the second Safety Car of the race.
Max Esterson and Piotr Wisnicki had collided at the first chicane and were out of the running. Both drivers were OK, but their cars needed clearing away.
Tramnitz retained the lead but further back, Browning cleared Fornaroli into Turn 1 to take eighth place. The leader held on from Montoya and Ramos, while Dunne and Beganovic rounded out the top five.
Meguetounif cleared Boya after the Campos driver ran through the gravel at Ascari, a mistake that allowed Browning to move up one place further to earn seventh.
The full top 10 are- P1: Tramnitz, P2: Ramos, P3: Dunne, P4: Beganovic, P5: Meguetounif, P6: Browning, P7: Boya, P8: Fornaroli, P9: Mini and P10: Stenshorne.
Day 3 Feature Race-
Fornaroli covered off Alex Dunne immediately at lights out and retained his lead into the first chicane, with MP Motorsport following ahead of Mini in third.
Into Parabolica the Irish driver was down the inside of the Championship leader to take first. Just behind, teammate Sami Meguetounif took third from Mini with a slipstream into the first corner going into Lap 2.
Further back, Luke Browning was up to 11th from 13th on the grid after the opening lap, but dropped to 12th after compatriot Joseph Loake was able to get the tow on Lap 3.
Battling into Ascari, Browning was side-by-side with Nikola Tsolov but spun on corner entry, Several drivers then made contact in a separate incident further on in the corner to bring out a Safety Car with Shields, Floersch and Zagazeta left out of the running with damage. Browning was able to continue but was down in 26th position.
Back to racing conditions entering Lap 7, Dunne kept hold of the lead ahead of Fornaroli, but Mini dropped down to fifth after Christian Mansell got ahead into the first corner.
Fighting for the lead into Ascari, Fornaroli went wide mid-corner and took a trip through the gravel, dropping him down to fifth position and crucially behind Mini.
Up ahead, Meguetounif moved ahead of Dunne at Turn 1 under braking to take the lead on Lap 10. Mansell was on the move on the following lap, rounding Dunne at the Roggia chicane to take second place in ART.
Onto Lap 15 and Fornaroli was in the DRS of Dunne and through for third position at Turn 1 to put a car between himself and Mini. The PREMA driver put a pass on Dunne himself on the following lap to move into fourth position and keep Fornaroli in his sights.
Lap 18 and Fornaroli was on the move again, this time taking second position from Mansell at the first corner despite a sizeable lock-up. Mini followed through later on in the lap at Ascari to remain within a second of the championship leader.
Another lock-up on Lap 20 at Turn 1 for Fornaroli allowed Mini to close right onto the back of the Trident.
Onto the penultimate lap and Mini got the move down to pass his title rival who then had Mansell attacking into the Roggia chicane and the ART driver got ahead, tipping the title battle in favour of the PREMA driver.
Onto the final lap and Mini was desperate to keep Mansell behind and worked hard to break the tow. Fornaroli was in the wheel tracks of the ART out of the first chicane and tried to get a late-braking move done but had to skip across the second chicane, forcing him to hand the place back.
Meguetounif was clear to take his second win in F3 ahead of Mini, but with a final corner lunge on Mansell, Fornaroli cleared the Australian taking P3 and sealing the title.
The full top 10 are- P1: Meguetounif, P2: Fornaroli, P3: Mansell, P4: Dunne, P5: Stenshorne, P6: Tramnitz, P7: Leon, P8: Van Hoepen, P9: Beganovic and P10: Dufek.
After the conclusion of the Feature Race, several drivers have been given post-race penalties, while Gabriele Mini has been disqualified as the car had not met the minimum requirement with regards to its tyre pressures.
Consequently this promotes Leonardo Fornaroli to second and Christian Mansell to third.
Victor Martins made a quick start to the Monte Carlo weekend by setting the fastest time in a rain-affected practice session. The ART Grand Prix driver’s lap of 1:39.237 lead the field ahead of Richard Verschoor and Dennis Hauger.
Heavy rain hit the track just before the start of the session, meaning drivers headed out onto a damp circuit. This made for tricky running with Enzo Fittipaldi the first to have a close call with the barrier at the hairpin section.
As conditions improved and the drivers gained more confidence in the wet, the fastest time changed hands multiple times. But after 10 minutes of running, Martins led an ART 1-2, his time of 1:40.531 put him half a second clear of Zak O’Sullivan.
Martins continued to set the pace and once again lowered the benchmark time to a 1:39.237. Trident’s Verschoor followed him across the line to go to P2, albeit nine-tenths behind.
But red flags were waved with Franco Colapinto stationary in his MP Motorsport car after contact with the barrier at La Rascasse.
The action resumed with 20 minutes left, and Dennis Hauger was the next driver to improve, moving up to second. The rain began to worsen as the session entered into the final 10 minutes leading the teams to bring their cars back into the pitlane.
Day 2-
Group A-
The 11 even-numbered drivers headed out on to the track with 16 minutes on the clock looking to set their fastest times.
After crossing the line to complete their first flying laps, it was ART driver Zak O’Sullivan who was the one to beat with a 1:23.118 putting him P1. His time was over half a second quicker than his nearest rivan in Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar.
The Briton continued to set the pace on his next effort, completing a lap of 1:22.202. On this occasion, the gap to second place Verschoor was just 0.113s.
As the first segment entered into the closing stages, green and purple colours lit up the timing screens as Verschoor went quickest with a 1:21.283 for Trident, a tenth ahead of Hadjar.
Gabriel Bortoleto was third for Invicta Racing, but he came on the radio to inform his team that he had hit the wall in the swimming pool section.
The drivers then set off on their final attempts, but despite their best efforts, no one could beat Verschoor’s time.
Group B-
The second set of 11 drivers headed out on to the track with Verschoor’s 1:21.283 their target time for pole.
As the drivers started their flying laps, the red flags were waved early after Rafael Villagomez lost the rear of his Van Amersfoort Racing car on the entry to Turn 1, sending him straight into the barrier.
With the track clear, drivers left the pitlane with nine minutes left in the segment. They wasted no time going for their push laps and it was Rodin’s Zane Maloney who went to the top of the leaderboard with a 1:21.941.
But Martins went back to the top of the leaderboard but not for long as Roman Stanek’s 1:21.466 to put him ahead of the Frenchman.
One final attempt was all there was time for, but Stanek’s hopes were dashed when he collided with the barrier in the second sector. Martins crossed the line to go fastest with a 1:21.310. This left Verschoor on pole position ahead of Martins for the feature race.
The full top overall are- P1: Verschoor, P2: Martins, P3: Hadjar, P4: Aron, P5: Colapinto, P6: Stanek, P7: Antonelli, P8: Hauger, P9: Bortoleto and P10: Barnard.
However, Bearman, Correa and Maini all have been given a three place grid penalty for impeeding.
Polesitter Kacper Sztuka had Leon tucked intot he slipstream from lights out and with the tow, the Mexican rounded the MP rookie to take the lead into the first chicane. Tramnitz followed through on his teammate to take second place before Goethe then moved himself up to third, having started sixth on the grid.
Contact for Campos’ Mari Boya left the Spaniard spinning at Turn 6 and in the gravel. That brought out the Safety Car before the opening lap was even completed.
Leon led the restart entering lap 4, with a comfortable buffer over Tramnitz in second and the VAR driver’s lead was 1.2s after the first lap under racing conditions.
The Safety Car came back out on lap 5, after Callum Voisin found the barriers on the exit of Turn 7. Contact with the Jenzer Motorsport car belonging to Charlie Wurz bounced the Rodin Motorsport driver wide and then into the wall.
Leon didn’t get the same launch as first time around as racing got back underway on lap 8, but despite his best efforts, Tramnitz couldn’t find room to pass into the first chicane.
Further back, Sami Meguetounif went spinning into the gravel after the slightest of touches with the rear of Dino Beganovic’s PREMA ahead of him into Turn 2. The Trident driver was left beached in the gravel and out of the race, requiring another Safety Car.
Gabriele Mini had been tucked up behind the ART Grand Prix car of Laurens van Hoepen, but the Italian driver finally cleared him into Turns 5 & 6 with a brave pass into the chicane.
There was a fourth Safety Car deployed on lap 13, but it was quickly withdrawn, and racing resumed on lap 15. Once again, Leon managed the restart perfectly to keep hold of the lead as the top three broke clear of the chasing pack.
Beganovic was able to pass Sztuka for fourth with two laps to go, as the Swede made his way by the MP rookie into the first chicane. Browning tried to follow the PREMA through but suffered contact with the Polish driver that broke his front wing and left him in the gravel at Turn 7.
The brief Virtual Safety car which was withdrawn on the final lap allowed Goethe to catch Leon unaware and take the lead out of Turn 15. The German led through the final corners to earn the Imola Sprint victory.
The full top 10 are- P1: Goethe, P2: Tramnitz, P3: Leon, P4: Beganoivc, P5: Sztuka, P6: Mini, P7: van Hoepen, P8: Lindblad, P9: Bedrin and P10: Ramos.
Day 3-
Santiago Ramos perfected his start and led the trio of Tridents flying in formation to the first chicane, Fornaroli and Meguetounif with tows close behind.
Sprint race winner, Oliver Goethe was following the Prema of Arvid Lindblad in the battle for fourth after climbing up three spots on the opening lap. The Campos driver was able to find a route through on the second lap to take P4 from the Briton.
Onto Lap 3 and Fornaroli had the tow with DRS to sweep into the lead of the race into the first chicane. Further back, Goethe took third from Meguetounif while Luke Browning made a move on the Prema of Dino Beganovic into the same corner.
With DRS, Goethe was by the pole sitter Ramos at Turn 2 on lap 5, brave on the brakes to sweep around the outside of the Mexican for P2. One lap later and the Red Bull Junior had the lead of the race after an issue for Fornaroli on the main straight put him down to fifth position.
Trident teammates Ramos and Meguetounif were in battle on lap 12 as the Frenchman cleared taking second position into Turn 2. Goethe meanwhile had built up his advantage in the lead and was ahead by 2.5s at the halfway point.
Fornaroli’s fightback continued at the expense of Ramos on lap 14, clearing his teammate to take third. Browning moved ahead of the Mexican driver on the next lap to move himself into P4 to keep title rival Fornaroli in sight.
Up ahead, Meguetounif had slowly closed down the gap on race leader Geothe and moved to within DRS range going into lap 17, just 0.7s behind across the line.
With five laps to go, the Frenchman rounded the Campos driver to take the lead at the first chicane, though Fornaroli was catching the pair with a lap over a second quicker that the top two.
The Italian was into DRS range of Goethe on lap 19 but couldn’t find a way to pass the Campos driver before the end. This left Meguetounif to take his maiden Formula 3 race win on Trident home soil ahead of Goethe and Fornaroli.
The full top 10 are- P1: Meguetounif, P2: Goethe, P3: Fornaroli, P4: Browning, P5: Beganovic, P6: Mini, P7: Lindblad, P8: Ramos, P9: Boya and P10: Montoya.
Campos Racing’s Oliver Goethe was the man to beat in Free Practice around Imola, with the German driver’s 1:32.047 the time to beat in the opening session of the weekend. Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Luke Browning finished in P2, 0.3s down on the top time while Mari Boya made it two Campos cars in the top three.
A very quiet opening 10 minutes gave way to some early laptimes, and it was Joseph Loake that went quickest for Rodin Motorsport. His 1:36.795 put him fastest in the initial stages before the rest of the field ventured out.
PREMA Racing’s Arvid Lindblad lowered the benchmark to a 1:33.784 on his first lap, with ART Grand Prix driver Christian Mansell slotting into P2, 0.2s down.
There was a red flag with 24 minutes of the session to go after Campos Racing’s Sebastian Montoya found the barriers at the exit of Turn 15, running resumed with 18 minutes left.
Wurz’s teammate Max Esterson was next to take over in P1, before Browning put in a 1:32.367 to go comfortably quickest with just over 10 minutes to go.
Goethe closed the gap down to the leader to just under a tenth of a second before then going to the top of the times on his next effort. A 1:32.047 put him 0.3s clear of the pack with five minutes left.
A second red flag quickly followed after Piotr Wisnicki slid into the barriers at Turn 9, with little time left, the session wasn’t restarted.
Qualifying-
Santiago Ramos saved his best for last to lead teammates Leonardo Fornaroli and Sami Meguetounif in an exciting Imola Qualifying session. The Mexican’s 1:31.767 put him on pole in the final moments to top a Trident 1-2-3 result!
With tyre preparation laps completed, PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Mini led the way on a 1:32.598 ahead of compatriot Fornaroli. ART Grand Prix rookie Laurens van Hoepen filtered through in third, 0.172s down on the top effort.
There was a red flag with 10 minutes gone after Rodin Motorsport’s Callum Voisin spun into the gravel at Turn 4. The session resumed and Oliver Goethe took over at the top. The Campos Racing driver carried on his form from Practice to pip Mini and to take provisional pole by 0.081s.
Most drivers returned to the pits with just under half of the qualifying session remaining, but Fornaroli stayed on track and put in his personal best to go 0.3s clear in P1 on a 1:32.159. MP Motorsport’s Alex Dunne followed suit and move himself up to second, 0.141s behind with 12 minutes to go.
Dino Beganovic was the first to improve, just 0.003s quicker than Fornaroli’s earlier time. Teammate Arvid Lindblad then took over with a 1:32.109.
Into the final two minutes and there were green and purple sectors throughout the field. Fornaroli restored himself onto provisional pole to go 0.2s quicker than Lindblad.
The full top 10 are- P1: Ramos, P2: Fornaroli, P3: Meguetounif, P4: Lindblad, P5: Beganovic, P6: Mini, P7: Goethe, P8: Van Hoepen, P9: Browning and P10: Tramnitz.
PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Mini set the early pace in Melbourne as the Italian topped timesheets in Free Practice ahead of Qualifying thanks to a time of 1:33.225.
Mini proved to be the one to beat for the majority of the morning session with compatriot Leonardo Fornaroli his nearest challenger, ending up three-tenths off his time. PREMA teammate Dino Beganovic wound up third.
But at the start of proceedings it was an all-PREMA top three as Mini hit the ground running with a lap of 1:34.874, leading Beganovic by three tenths, as Arvid Lindblad tucked into third.
Soon after, Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Cian Shields spun into the barrier at the final corner, bringing out the Red Flags after 15 minutes of running. The drivers were back out on track with half of the session remaining and once again it was Mini who set the pace, strengthening his grip on P1.
With three minutes left in the session, another Red Flag was waved after ART Grand Prix driver Nikola Tsolov collided with MP Motorsport’s rookie Alex Dunne. The Irishman ended up in the barriers, and the session was not resumed.
Qualifying-
Trident’s Leonardo Fornaroli took his second Formula 3 pole position, beating rival Gabriele Mini to take the top spot in Melbourne thanks to his time of 1:33.044.
Mini had provisional pole until the final flying laps and wound up just 0.019s off the top spot, but sealed a front row start for the Feature Race, with his teammate Dino Beganovic in third.
After the first set of laps Fornaroli set the pace thanks to his time of 1:33.882 with Free Practice timesheet-topper Mini over four-tenths back of his compatriot in second. The Trident driver could not improve on his next attempt, but the PREMA racer did and closed the gap to 0.020s. Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Luke Browning then went up to third, two-tenths back of Fornaroli’s time.
With only five minutes left in the session, Sami Meguetounif crashed his Trident into the barrier at the exit of the final corner bringing out the red flags. Moments prior, Mini had gone up to P1 with a 1:33.505.
The lights went green, which left the drivers with four and a half minutes to set their final laps, and it was Fornaroli who took pole position.
The full top 10 are – P1: Fornaroli, P2: Mini, P3: Beganovic, P4: Bedrin, P5: Browning, P6: Tsolov, P7: Lindblad, P8: Goethe, P9: Mansell and P10: Stenshorne.
Trident have retained Roman Stanek for the 2024 Formula 2 season, announcing that their partnership is set to continue for a third consecutive campaign.
Stanek first raced with Trident back in 2022 when he finished fifth in his second season of FIA Formula 3, scoring one victory and pole position along with two fastest laps and four podiums.
He then made the step up to Formula 2 last year, and wound-up 18th in the Championship after scoring 15 points. Stanek’s return completes Trident’s 2024 line-up with the team having already announced that they had reunited with Dutchman Richard Verschoor.
We are delighted to continue our collaboration with Roman Stanek, who has been part of our family for a long time and was able to provide winning results in the past. We are certain that all the ingredients are there to do well and achieve increasingly ambitious goals together. The experience acquired in 2023 will prove pivotal to start the new season with the best conditions and maximum determination.
Trident have locked in their lineup for the 2024 FIA Formula 3 campaign, announcing that Santiago Ramos will be joining them next season. The 19 year old will be partnering Leonardo Fornaroli and fellow rookie Sami Meguetounif at the Italian team.
Ramos makes the step up to the third tier off the back of his second Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine campaign, finishing 11th in the Standings with one podium finish.
The Mexican driver had his first chance to get to grips with the F3 car during post-season tests, clocking in 407 laps of running across the six days in Jerez, Barcelona and Imola.
After honing his racing skills in karting, Ramos progressed to single seaters in 2019 with a three-round debut in Italian F4. Returning to run in the Championship across the following two seasons, he earned a best result of fifth before joining the FRECA grid for the 2022 campaign.
So happy to announce that I’m joining Trident Motorsport for the FIA F3 championship! Working closely with them during post-season testing has been fantastic. I’m excited about this new chapter, ready to give it my all, and looking forward to making every race weekend a memorable experience. Huge thanks to Trident, Escudería Telmex, and my sponsors for this opportunity!
Ramos on the news.
It is with extreme delight and confidence that we welcome a young prospect like Santiago Ramos to our line-up. We are looking forward to doing a great job with him, and we think we have all the necessary resources to allow him to improve and make his way through the motorsport ladder. We like to invest in rookie drivers, who have yet to express their full talent. I am convinced that, together with Santiago, we will achieve our goals as in the team’s tradition.
Trident have announced that three-time Formula 2 race winner Richard Verschoor will be returning to compete for the Italian team next season.
The Dutch driver has scored a victory in each season he’s driven in since his debut campaign with MP Motorsport in 2021. 2022 saw him partner up with Trident, finishing 12th in the Standings with five podiums to his name.
Switching to Van Amersfoort Racing this year, Verschoor added a win in the Spielberg Feature Race to his tally, as well as two further podiums to his name, overall he finished the season ninth in the Drivers’ Championship.
After claiming both SMP and Spanish Formula 4 titles, in his debut single seater season, Verschoor has been a consistent performer as he progressed through the ranks. Finishing third overall with three victories in the 2017 Toyota Racing Series, he improved to second the following year alongside winning the Macau Grand Prix.
Two campaigns followed in Formula 3, with a best result of ninth in 2020 before he graduated to Formula 2 for the 2021 season.
I am thrilled to announce that I will be racing for Trident Motorsport in Formula 2 next year. After our successful collaboration in 2022, I am excited to be back with the Italian family and eager to work tirelessly on developing the new car together. I am grateful for this opportunity and ready to take on the challenges ahead!
Verschoor on the news.
We are delighted to welcome Verschoor back to our line-up. At the end of the 2022 season, he left great memories and we are really proud and motivated to have him back with us. I’m sure that we have all the ingredients needed to run a competitive season. Verschoor is a quick and experienced driver and is known for not wasting occasions. We will do our best to support him and reach some ambitious goals together.
Trident have confirmed that Sami Meguetounif will be driving for them in FIA Formula 3 next year, this makes him the teams second signing.
Meguetounif joins the Italian team off the back of finishing ninth in the 2023 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine. He took three podiums in his second campaign. He also completed post-season testing with Trident earlier this year, recording six top 10 session times.
The 19 year old’s racing career began in karting, where he became the French National Champion twice in 2017 and 2018 in the Rotax Junior category. Stepping up to single-seaters the following year, he made guest appearances in the Formula 4 South East Asia Championship and French F4.
Returning for a full-season in French F4 in 2020, he finished fourth overall with one win, two pole positions and eight podiums. He then switched to ADAC F4 for the 2021 season, he finished 11th in the Standings before moving up to FRECA, taking his maiden podium in the opening round.
2023 saw him begin the year competing in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship, where he earned one win, two poles and two podiums before returning for his second FRECA campaign.
I’m really really really happy to be joining Trident. We all know the good job the team did in these past seasons. I’m very excited to start this new challenge and to be driving during the same race weekends as the big boys of Formula 1. I will work hard this winter to arrive in Bahrain well-prepared. I have already started working with the team during the post-season tests and they already taught me so much to make my adaptation to this new category better and help me go faster. I would also like to thank my sponsors for their amazing support.
Sami on the news.
We are delighted to welcome a promising driver like Sami Meguetounif to our line-up. The Marseille-born driver achieved good results in the FRECA championship and impressed the team’s technical staff in the collective 2024 preparation tests at Jerez, Barcelona and Imola. We are convinced that, by joining the Trident Motorsport family, Sami will find the right environment to make great steps within the motorsport ladder.
Jordan's Track Talk 