Having joined F2 in 2021, Richard Verschoor may be considered a veteran of the series. After a somewhat impressive ninth-place finish in the 2023 F2 championship, Verschoor returned to Trident, the team with which he had competed in 2022.
While speaking about his decision to return to the Italian team, Verschoor said, “I am thrilled to announce that I will be racing for Trident Motorsport in Formula 2 next year.”
“After our successful collaboration in 2022, I am excited to be back with the Italian family and eager to work tirelessly on developing the new car together. I am grateful for this opportunity and ready to take on the challenges ahead!”
A not-so-steady start to the season with Trident
Unfortunately, despite his optimism, Verschoor had a shaky start at the 2024 Bahrain F2 round. He failed to score points over the weekend, placing 10th in the sprint race and 14th in the feature. This was an unexpectedly low start to the season for the experienced driver.
Unfortunately, he faced further disappointment in Jeddah. He was disqualified from the sprint race due to a technical infringement. This saw him relinquish his sprint race victory to MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger. He would, however, redeem himself in the Jeddah feature race. He placed eighth to earn Trident their first points of the season.
In the 2024 Melbourne F2 round, Verschoor faced an early retirement from the sprint race after suffering a spin while trying to avoid a collision. Like he had in Jeddah, however, he redeemed himself in the feature race. He placed sixth, earning points for the team and himself. He followed this with further points in Imola, finishing the sprint race P7 and the feature race P10.
Despite the disappointments in Bahrain, Jeddah and Melbourne, Verschoor proved himself a steady driver. He remained undeterred despite the challenges and moved on to have a good season.
The fight to reclaim a win
After settling into the season, Verschoor set out to reclaim a win, having lost his in Jeddah. Unfortunately, he faced a rough patch between the 2024 Monte Carlo and Silverstone F2 rounds. In Monaco, he failed to score points, finishing 13th in the sprint race before retiring from the feature race due to a technical issue with the driveshaft.
He went on the finish the Barcelona sprint race P13, and despite climbing his way up to P11 during the feature race, he finished 18th after facing a technical issue. In Spielberg, Verschoor placed 20th in the sprint race, followed by a retirement in the feature race. In Silverstone, the driver placed 11th in the sprint race and 13th in the feature race.
Unfortunately, the Dutch driver’s bad luck continued in Hungary, as despite crossing the finish line first during the sprint race, he was again stripped of his win after the car failed scrutineering. The rear plank of the car did not comply with the minimum thickness required. This caused a woeful Verschoor to again lose what could have been his first win of the season.
Fortunately, he would keep his third-place finish in the feature race. This saw him achieve his first podium finish of the season. He followed this with another podium finish in the sprint race in Spa-Francorchamps and a P5 finish in the feature race.
Victory in Baku
Verschoor’s 2024 Monza Grand Prix weekend got off to a poor start. He finished the sprint race 14th. However, he would salvage his the Monza F2 round the next day. In the feature race, he earned another third-place finish to take his third podium of the season.
The 2024 Baku F2 round would produce similarly mixed results. Despite setting the fastest lap time of the sprint race, the Trident driver placed 17th, failing to score points. However, he would shine in the feature race.
After starting from pole position, Verschoor, took an early lead. This, however, was overshadowed by a major crash between Invicta Racing’s Kush Maini, MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe and Campos Racing’s Pepe Martí. AIX Racing’s Niels Koolen and Rafael Villagómez were also forced out of the race due to collision damage. The seriousness of the crash and the amount of debris covering the track forced a lengthy red flag which resulted in the race being condensed into a timed finish.
Despite this, Verschoor remained focused and enjoyed a similarly strong restart. After claiming the lead of the race, he led the pack for the entirety of the race, not yielding to pressure from ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins or Prema Racing’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
After 17 laps, Verschoor crossed the line first, earning his long-awaited first victory of the season. However, this victory would be a bittersweet one as the Baku feature race also marked the end of his journey with Trident. He switched to MP Motorsport, replacing Dennis Hauger who had taken an early leave from F2 to begin his preparation for the 2025 Indy NXT season.
A strong start to a new era
Verschoor enjoyed a strong start to his time with MP Motorsport. He earned a podium finish in the Lusail sprint race. Unfortunately, he suffered a disappointing end to the weekend as he placed 17th in the Feature Race. In the final race at the Yas Marina Circuit, Verschoor placed 7th in Sprint and finished the season with a final podium as he placed 3rd in the Feature.
A rollercoaster of a 2024 season
Verschoor truly had a rollercoaster of a 2024 F2 season. While he suffered a handful of difficulties from disqualifications to retirements and collisions, he enjoyed multiple podium finishes and took his fourth F2 career win. The driver ended the season with 106 points, placing 8th overall.
He will continue his partnership with MP Motorsport in the 2025 season, striving to reclaim the wins he missed this season.
