Laurens van Hoepen gears up to enter his rookie F2 campaign in 2026. Last year, he raced with ART Grand Prix in his second Formula 3 season; now the Dutchman now takes on the challenge of Formula 2 with a new team, TRIDENT. Last season, he participated in the final three rounds, gaining valuable experience and familiarising himself with the team ahead of his first full-time campaign.
Ahead of the season opener, van Hoepen spoke to Pit Debrief and other media outlets, outlining the preparations underway at TRIDENT.
Gaining a competitive edge in his first full F2 season
When asked by Pit Debrief where he believes Trident can gain a competitive edge, the Dutch driver said: “I think John [Bennett] described it quite well. I mean, there’s been some big changes. Of course, John and I both are new in the team, although I got to do a couple rounds last year with a team which was very helpful. And I really feel like we did a big step coming from last season to this season with the changes that we made. So that’s definitely going in the right direction.”
“And yeah, there’s still definitely work to do. But yeah, I think the testing went positive and we have a better idea of where we are now and where to focus on for Melbourne, which is of course very good. And yeah, I think we’re just looking forward to getting out on track there.”
TRIDENT has a completely new driver lineup consisting of van Hoepen and John Bennett. While van Hoepen enters his first full season, Bennett enters his second. Last season, the Brit was with Van Amersfoort Racing and finished P22 in the Drivers’ Standings. This year, both drivers will hope for a brighter season with their new team, TRIDENT.
Timeline to move up the motorsport ladder
With young drivers like Isack Hadjar and Kimi Antonelli earning their promotions from Formula 2 to Formula 1 recently, the desire to emulate them increases. While some drivers have managed to successfully progress, many find it difficult and switch to other racing categories instead. Therefore, van Hoepen was asked about his timeline for moving up the ladder after F2.
“Yes, I mean, of course, the two seasons in F3, which was very nice to do, because I’ve learned so much in those seasons. I do feel way more ready now for my first season of F2 than I kind of was for my first season of F3. So that’s also something to look at. I think just in general, the experience that I’ve gotten in F3 is something that is very valuable for F2 as well, because in the end, it’s in the same weekend, you kind of have the same format.
“So you’re already a lot more used to how it works. And then I think as of timeline, it’s very dependent on how the season goes. I mean, if you have a great season, then of course, that’s something you can look at. But also, on the other hand, I mean, I’m still a rookie. And I mean, it’s also really important to be fully ready, especially for a step like F1, you need to be fully prepared and ready to be good straight away.
So you definitely don’t want to rush that. So it really is dependent on results in the end.”
Preparation for van Hoepen ahead of the season opener
Last season, the Dutchman’s best result came in the form of a P14 finish in the Sprint Race around the Yas Marina Circuit. This season, van Hoepen undoubtedly hopes to better that result and earn points in F2.
When asked how useful the experience last year was in terms of preparing for this season, van Hoepens said: “Yes, I think it’s been extremely useful because, of course, F2 is still a completely different car than F3. The races are longer and now you’re also doing pit stops. Starting procedure is different.
So there’s a lot of things that are different, which then was really useful to do those couple of races to prepare.”
“It also immediately shows the points you should work on, which is very, very valuable for working on to this season. So it helped me a lot as to prepare for this season and made me way more prepared, which is, of course, very, very nice. And then there’s still stuff to work on. But overall, I think it helped me massively. I just can’t wait to be on track in Melbourne.”
