John Bennett believes Trident can target strong points at the Belgian GP weekend after securing his best Formula 2 (F2) qualifying result to date.
The British driver qualified fifth for the 2026 F2 Belgian GP weekend with a 1:56.759, placing himself in a strong position for both the Sprint and Feature Races at one of the championship’s most demanding circuits.
Speaking after the session, Bennett said the result felt especially satisfying after a tricky Friday shaped by uncertainty over the weather and track conditions. The field entered qualifying unsure whether the circuit would remain damp or dry, but the session quickly developed into a much faster, high-grip contest.
Bennett builds on recent F2 momentum
Bennett’s P5 at Spa continues a stronger run of form after a difficult start to his rookie F2 season.
The Trident driver pointed to his seventh-place finish in the Barcelona Feature Race as a turning point before he claimed his maiden F2 victory in the Spielberg Sprint Race. Silverstone also showed promise, even though Bennett felt he and the team did not fully connect the pieces in qualifying.
At Spa, the progress translated into his strongest Friday performance in the category. Bennett ran second during the first half of Free Practice before staying near the front in qualifying, giving him confidence that Trident’s recent improvements are moving in the right direction.
The result also matters because Bennett has already shown he can race well. Now, he believes he has proved he can qualify at the “sharp end” too.
Spa leaves little margin for error
Spa’s layout made the achievement even more important.
At more than seven kilometres, the Belgian circuit gives drivers few chances to recover from mistakes. Bennett highlighted how difficult it is to judge conditions through sections such as Eau Rouge, where drivers must commit without always knowing how much grip they will find.
With limited push laps available in F2 qualifying, Bennett said drivers effectively have to “send it and see if it sticks.” That approach carries risk at Spa, but it paid off as he delivered his best qualifying result in the championship.
Strong points now the target
Bennett’s focus now turns to converting the result into points across the weekend.
Starting fifth for the Feature Race gives him a chance to fight near the front, while the reverse-grid format also keeps him inside the top eight picture for Saturday’s Sprint. After already claiming his first F2 win earlier this season, Bennett wants to make consistency the next step.
He believes Trident deserves two strong results at Spa after its recent progress. The aim is no longer just to show flashes of speed, but to maximise the opportunity and keep building momentum before the summer break.
