MP Motorsport’s Richard Verschoor finished the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP F2 Feature Race in P3, just over 3.5 seconds behind 2024 F2 championship winner Gabriel Bortoleto. Despite starting P12 on the grid after a disappointing qualifying session, the Dutchman enjoyed a strong performance which, combined with an excellent tyre strategy, earned him the final place on the podium alongside Bortoleto and race winner, Joshua Dürksen.
Verschoor “very happy” with podium finish in Abu Dhabi
While speaking with the media during the FIA Round 14 Post-Feature Race Press Conference, Verschoor stated that he was “very happy” with the good pace that he had enjoyed throughout the race and the success that it had brought the team.
“I think the pace of the car was good, very happy with that.”
He claimed that a podium finish had been the team’s main target for the Abu Dhabi GP weekend, and stated that he was pleased to have helped them achieve their objective.
“Our main target for this weekend or today was to claim third in the Teams’ Championship, so very happy to help the team with that.”
He added that it was nice for the team to have such a strong end to their 2024 campaign.
“I think for the whole team, it’s been nice to finish that off, and of course, for me as well to finish on the podium. In the last round it’s always nice.”
Verschoor, who joined MP Motorsport from Trident ahead of the Qatar GP, added that he was pleased to have been able to achieve such “amazing results” in his first two races with the team. He said that he was looking forward to their continued journey together in 2025.
“I think the last two rounds for me were to get to know the team better, and we had some amazing results already, so really looking forward to working with them again in ‘25.”
Verschoor struggled with tyres during F2 Feature Race
Despite his strong performance, Verschoor admitted that he had struggled with his tyres, especially at the beginning of the race.
“But I had to make the tyres last which was not easy, especially in the beginning of the race.”
“All the people around me were on Options and I had to try to hang onto the Medium tyre, so I already destroyed them a bit in the beginning…”
However, he managed to keep his tyres alive despite these challenges, ultimately rendering the alternative tyre strategy that he had employed successful.
“… but somehow we managed to keep them alive until the end. So yeah, happy with that.”
