ART Grand Prix’s Théo Pourchaire and Trident’s Richard Verschoor believe their 2022 team mates have made them stronger, sharper competitors in the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of the seventh F2 round at Silverstone, second-year drivers Pourchaire and Verschoor reflected on the roles they hold within their respective teams as the more experienced drivers in each one’s line-up.
At ART, Pourchaire partners Frederik Vesti, who graduated from the FIA Formula 3 Championship having finished fourth in both 2020 and 2021, the latter with ART.
Vesti got off to a difficult start in Formula 2 this season, but he scored his first points with sixth in the Imola Feature Race. He then took strides in the following rounds to score his first podium in the Barcelona Feature Race and a maiden win in the Baku Sprint Race.
Vesti is currently 12th in the standings with 41 points, just under half the 83 Pourchaire has. Together, they have 124 points, putting ART third in the Teams’ Championship.
Pourchaire said that he and Vesti have a symbiotic relationship, using each other’s strengths to help the team grow.
The French driver believes this has helped ART take a step forward from last season when he and 2022 IndyCar driver Christian Lundgaard took the team to fifth.
“It’s good to have Fred as a team mate,” Pourchaire said. “I’m a second-year [driver]; I have a bit more experience in that category, and I can help him sometimes.
“And also he’s helping me as well because he has a different driving style. He’s maybe quicker in some corners, so I try to use him as well to improve myself, and that’s good.
“I think we are quite fast, and this year, the team is stronger than last year.”
Verschoor partners Calan Williams, who graduated to Formula 2 with Trident this year after spending two seasons with the Jenzer Motorsport team in FIA F3.
Williams’ highest position in that championship came last year when he took 19th place overall with 15 points, including a podium at Le Castellet.
Williams currently occupies the same position in F2, albeit with five points to his name, thanks to a fourth-place finish in the Sprint Race in Jeddah.
Although Verschoor, who has 42 points, has drastically outscored Williams, the Dutch driver doesn’t feel that Williams has dragged down Trident, who currently sits eighth in the Teams’ Championship.
“It’s been great, to be honest. Of course, he is now in the same situation as I was in last year,” Verschoor said.
“I don’t think it completely changes my role as a team mate. Of course, I have more experience, so I can steer the team […] in directions from my experience.
“That’s something I would do anyway, even if I had an experienced team mate.
“To be honest, it’s good if you have an experienced team mate or a quick team mate because then you have the same comments. You can move forward together with the team.
“But I’m enjoying [working] with Calan. So it’s all good.”
Image Credit: Formula Motorsport Ltd / Getty Images
