John Bennett continued his encouraging rise in the 2026 F2 season after delivering his strongest Qualifying performance to date in Montreal. The TRIDENT driver secured seventh place at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Friday afternoon, while teammate Laurens van Hoepen stormed to pole position to complete an outstanding session for the Italian outfit.
Consequently, TRIDENT strengthened its growing reputation as one of the most improved teams on the F2 grid. After collecting several points finishes and podiums earlier in the season, the team once again demonstrated its competitiveness on a demanding street-style circuit.
Bennett credits TRIDENT’s hard work for strong F2 Qualifying performance at the 2026 Canadian GP
Following the session, Bennett reflected on the progress TRIDENT has made since the winter break. He emphasised the commitment shown behind the scenes and acknowledged the role the team has played in helping him steadily improve throughout the campaign.
“Obviously it’s a good result, very happy with it and I want to say a massive well done to the team,” Bennett said to Formula 2 in the paddock following the session.
The Briton then highlighted the consistent development that has allowed TRIDENT to emerge as a regular challenger near the front of the field. At the same time, he reserved special praise for teammate van Hoepen after his pole-winning effort.
“They’ve worked so hard over winter, and we keep just improving every weekend. And of course, also a huge congratulations to Laurens on pole. So yeah, a good weekend for all of us.”
In addition, Bennett pointed to the extensive preparation work completed between rounds as another major factor behind his strong pace in Canada. The 2026 campaign has already shown clear signs of growth in his confidence, and he believes the work carried out on the simulator translated effectively onto the circuit.
“Just putting in a lot of work since the last round on the sim and a lot of preparation with the team. But it felt in a good place from the start of this weekend. FP was in the right direction with P11 and then in Quali, just every lap improving on the last.”
Montreal layout creates exciting prospects
Although Circuit Gilles Villeneuve presented another new challenge for several F2 drivers, Bennett adapted quickly to the conditions and steadily built confidence across the session. As a result, both TRIDENT cars secured top-10 starting positions for the two races in Montreal.
Bennett admitted that his final Qualifying lap still contained room for improvement, yet he remained satisfied with how he pieced the session together under pressure.
“I kind of hooked it together in the last lap. For sure there was still some time here and there, but in Formula 2 everyone always says that. And it’s so close, anything can happen.”
Furthermore, Bennett expects the nature of the circuit to create close racing and unpredictable battles throughout the weekend. He also compared Montreal favourably to Miami, another newer venue that suited the characteristics of the current F2 car.
“So I think it will be a super exciting weekend for sure. Just like Miami, this new track seems to really suit this car. Qualifying was close, I think the racing will be great, so looking forward to it. And the fans are great. I think they’re loving having us here.”
Calm approach helps during red flags
Meanwhile, Qualifying became increasingly difficult because two red flags interrupted the session and disrupted the rhythm for every driver on track. Despite those stoppages, Bennett maintained his concentration and managed to produce his strongest F2 Qualifying result so far.
Importantly, he believes that handling those situations calmly represents a major improvement from his rookie campaign in the championship.
“I think I stayed quite focused on the job at hand. I think for sure that’s something that would have thrown me off last year.”
The TRIDENT driver then explained how F2 often demands adaptability because sessions can change rapidly without warning. Therefore, he focused entirely on maximising each lap instead of relying on predicted outcomes.
“But that’s something that I’ve really improved on as a driver coming into my second year. In Formula 2 you never really know quite what’s going to happen. And even if there’s a predicted lap time that you think is going to happen, you just need to maximise every lap you can, because you never know when the session is going to end.”
Bennett also stressed the importance of mentally resetting after interruptions and approaching every lap with complete focus.
“So it’s really just about mentally resetting, it doesn’t matter where you are at, just perform the best that you can at the time.”
Strong F2 points haul remains main objective for Bennett at the 2026 Canadian GP
Looking ahead to the Sprint and Feature Races, Bennett intends to remain grounded despite the encouraging Qualifying result. While a maiden F2 podium remains an attractive possibility, he continues to prioritise consistent points finishes as the championship battle develops.
Starting fourth for the Sprint Race and seventh for the Feature Race gives the Briton two valuable opportunities to continue TRIDENT’s positive momentum in Canada.
“In Formula 2, you always have to think about maximising the result that you can. Not to get carried away with focussing on the outcome or anything. So, I’ll just be treating it like a normal race, try my best, get a clean start, and then see where it goes from there.”
Even so, Bennett admitted that securing a first F2 trophy would represent a special achievement if everything comes together over the weekend.
“We’re in a good position in both races, being P4 and P7. So yeah, really looking to just maximise the points possible. If I come away with the trophy, then that’s a cool bonus.”
