Richard Verschoor turned what looked like a nightmare weekend into a dream result at the Spanish GP claiming victory in the F2 Sprint Race after a strategic gamble that transformed the Dutchman from midfield runner to race winner.
The MP Motorsport driver’s path to victory was far from straightforward. After stalling at the start and falling down the order, Verschoor found himself embroiled in the DRS train that characterised much of the race’s middle phase. His afternoon took another turn for the worse when an incident with Arvid Lindblad saw both drivers spin, though Verschoor managed to continue whilst losing the position he’d just gained to Pepe Martí.
The pivotal safety car
It was then that fortune smiled upon the experienced campaigner. When PREMA teammates Sebastián Montoya and Gabriele Minì clashed at Turn 1 on lap 18, bringing out the Safety Car, Verschoor and his team made the crucial call to pit for fresh soft tyres whilst the leaders stayed out on their worn rubber.
Rene Rosin won't want to see this one again 🫣
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) May 31, 2025
The PREMA duo, Sebastian Montoya and Gabriele Mini, collided in the closing stages of the Sprint 💥
The Colombian was handed a post-race time penalty for the incident ⏱️#F2 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/Dmczi3e59u
“Beginning of the race, I was just hanging on, of course I stalled at the start, so that was a bit of a shame and then once the safety car came out, the team did the right call,” Verschoor explained after his victory. “They told me very confidently to box, I followed what they told me and in the end we had a great race.”
The gamble that paid off
The decision proved inspired. When racing resumed during the F2 Spanish GP Sprint Race, Verschoor found himself with a significant pace advantage over those who had remained on track. The Dutchman carved through the field with surgical precision, moving from outside the points to challenging for the lead within just a handful of laps.
What made the charge even more remarkable was that Verschoor wasn’t entirely confident it would work. “No, to be honest not,” he admitted when asked if he thought he’d be on the top step after emerging from the pits. “Especially because we didn’t know of course, the difference between the soft and the hard. I knew it was going to be big for two, three laps, but I didn’t know it was going to be big for all the laps we did, so six I guess.”
The tyre differential proved even more dramatic than anticipated. “The gaps I think were just, I mean the grid difference was just insane, and I think it was a lot more than many people expected, that’s also why I think the top seven didn’t box, but I’m happy that I did as the first guy let’s say.”
With just a few laps remaining, Verschoor swept past race leader Jak Crawford, who had controlled proceedings for the majority of the afternoon. The American, running on older, harder compound tyres, was powerless to resist the charge from the Dutchman on fresh rubber.
Damage concerns and defensive masterclass
The victory wasn’t without its anxious moments. Verschoor revealed that the earlier incident had affected his car’s handling and potentially its straight-line speed. “I actually had an incident a few laps before and my car was not straight anymore, and I also really had the feeling that I was slower on the straight after the incident, so I don’t know what happened exactly but mainly because of that, I was even happier because we were about to box because I thought I had big damage, but then I just tried to hang on, and we managed to finish first.”
P10 to P1 in FOUR laps 🤯@R_Verschoor1 was invigorated after pitting for the Soft tyres when the Safety Car was called on lap 18, pulling off some great moves whilst fighting his way into the race lead 🕺🏻#F2 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/xvvmIglK8l
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) May 31, 2025
In the closing stages, with Alex Dunne breathing down his neck on equally fresh tyres, Verschoor adopted a defensive approach. “To be fair, I was just trying to hang on, I wasn’t trying to get away, I was just trying to manage the gap that I had because I knew it was in DRS anyway. So I definitely could have done a few more laps but let’s see tomorrow how many we can do.”
Verschoor opens up about recent struggles
The F2 Spanish GP Sprint Race victory represents a significant moment in Verschoor’s championship campaign. Currently third in the standings, the 23-year-old had endured a frustrating period since his last podium in Jeddah, including illness at Imola and a first-lap incident in Monaco.
“Yeah, we were just really off in Imola with me being sick and then in Monaco, of course, the lap one incident was a bit of a shame, but yeah, still I feel very confident, I feel like we’re doing a good job at the moment, very consistent, and I think that’s super important,” Verschoor reflected. “So yeah, of course, to take the win now instead of a P8 is just a gift and I will take the gift, but tomorrow we start over, and we try again.”
A new arc for Verschoor
For Verschoor, this season represents something of a redemption story. After two challenging campaigns with different teams, his move to MP Motorsport has provided the platform to showcase his true potential in what might be considered an unconventional decision to remain in F2 for another year.
“The reason for me first of all to do another year of F2 which might be a bit uncommon is because I got the opportunity with MP which in my eyes is a top team, and you know I just wanted to show what I could do in a very good car and that I could because I think that’s what mainly what was lacking the last two years,” he explained.
“So I’m really happy now that it shows that you know if I work well with the team I can be up there, and you know it gives me confidence and I hope results like this fighting for the championship as well is giving me a great future in motorsport where that then will be I have no idea yet, but I hope something nice.”
Looking ahead to the F2 Feature Race
Looking ahead to the Feature Race, Verschoor expects the dramatic tyre performance differential to influence strategy throughout the field. “I think tomorrow it’s again as we saw today if you put the softs in the end of course it’s a big benefit on the other hand if there’s a safety car in the beginning, and you’re on the hard tyres your race is more or less over so again it’s a bit you know risky to go on the other strategy,” he analysed.
“So probably you know I’m just guessing, but we’ll see more people at the back risking it other than at the front so let’s see let’s see tomorrow, maybe Alex will surprise me but yeah, I think for sure that if you go on the soft tyres with the low fuel it’s always much better than to start with it so let’s see I’m really thinking it will be an interesting race.”
