The debut results
In his debut season in Formula 2, the young Dutchman Laurens van Hoepen is achieving very convincing results behind the wheel of the Trident team: 3rd in the Feature Race in Melbourne, the first weekend of the season, the 20-year-old climbed the podium again in Miami, achieving his best finish with an excellent 2nd place. In Canada, Van Hoepen then secured his first pole position, but retired in the Feature Race after crashing into the ‘Wall of Champions’ in a very chaotic race.
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The first laps in an F1
The overall performances have nevertheless attracted the attention of Williams team principal James Vowles. Recently, at the Hungaroring circuit, Van Hoepen made his Formula 1 debut in a private TPC (Test Previous Cars) test, completing several laps behind the wheel of a Williams from previous seasons. As recently happened to other young talents like Leonardo Fornaroli and Rafael Camara, who respectively took to the track with McLaren and Ferrari, Van Hoepen also described all his emotions on social media: “First time behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car: a day I will never forget!”
Vowles’ goal
The reasons behind this test, as Vowles explained, are clear. Van Hoepen is indeed one of the main candidates to enter the Williams F1 Team Driver Academy, and the confirmation came directly from Vowles: “Most likely – he stated – the great thing about working directly with him is that we can get to know his driving level firsthand. He still has room for improvement, but there is a reason why we are talking to him. We are in a great position in our Academy. You will see that we have high-level talents, from the first to the last.”
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Additionally, Vowles denied all possible rumors regarding the future of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, confirming that both official drivers of the Grove team will still be part of Williams’ project for the coming seasons.
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