Richard Verschoor topped the time sheets in the Formula 2 Italian GP Free Practice session. With a mere 19 points separating Verschoor in P3 from Fornaroli in P1 in the Championship Standings, every result is crucial.
A strong Free Practice in Monza
Verschoor set a 1:32.547 later on in the session, taking the lead swiftly. The Dutchman understandably labelled this a strong start back from the break for the team. He acknowledged the confidence he felt within the car, despite entering the track later than others.
With new asphalt laid at Monza, Verschoor notes this to be a big change. Although this new asphalt was done prior to last year’s Italian GP, the Dutchman explained it to be less bumpy, nicer to driver on, and allowing for more grip.
Overall, the F2 Free Practice session was a strong one for Verschoor. Reflecting on the session’s end, he is aware that should it have ended as scheduled, rather than due to Red Flag, the outcome may have been different.
“It was a good session, we went a bit later than others but to be honest, I felt confident with the car. The new asphalt at Monza is a big change. It was here last year as well, but it’s quite nice to drive, less bumps and more grip so it’s even more fun that it used to be.
“It was a good session overall. Ending on top was good, but we stopped early so maybe things would have changed. I felt good though, improving and improving before the Red Flag came out so it was good.”
Planning ahead for Qualifying
Without being out on track for the earlier portion of the session, it is hard for Verschoor to comment on how the track evolved. Despite this, he believes that it was quite large. While a Free Practice session would usually be run on medium tyres, today’s was run on softs, and will change to super softs for Qualifying.
It will be crucial for drivers to push their cars to the absolute limit in the Monza Qualifying session. Drivers were fighting for tow in Free Practice, showing just how hard they will fight in Qualifying. Verschoor remains confident that he could fight for pole. The MP Motorsport machinery is strong, and while a tow would be nice, he will push hard for success even without one.
“I think the track evolution was quite big. To be honest, I’m not sure how things were in the beginning because I wasn’t out there early on. But if I look at F3, the track was improving a lot, and we went out a bit later which helps, but there’s still a good feeling ahead of later.
“We had the Softs in FP whereas usually it’s the Mediums, but now for Qualifying we’ll move onto the Supersoft, which usually isn’t too different but maybe the track evolution will be quite big.
“We’ll have to push the car to the limit quite a lot, and it’ll be good fun. I’m hoping it’s not too much chaos. You could see already in FP that people were fighting for the tow, but I hope it’s not too chaotic later. I’m feeling confident though, I think we have a good car. A little tow would be nice but if not, we’ll try doing it on our own.”
