Trident driver Laurens van Hoepen celebrated a standout drive in Australia  after climbing from 11th on the grid to finish third in the FIA Formula 2 Feature Race, securing an unexpected podium in the opening round of the season.

The Dutch driver delivered an impressive recovery drive through the field, combining strong race pace with a well-timed strategy to claim a place on the podium for Trident.

“[I’m] super happy,” Van Hoepen said after the race. “I think we did a really good race starting from P11, for sure. I was not really expecting to be on the podium, but the team and I did an amazing job.”

A first #F2 Podium for Laurens van Hoepen as he secures P3 in the Melbourne Feature Race ?

It's @trident_team's first Podium since Baku 2024 ??#AusGP pic.twitter.com/ab9b4C61D1

— Formula 2 (@Formula2) March 8, 2026

A key moment in the race came during the pit stop phase, where Trident’s crew executed a quick stop that allowed Van Hoepen to gain track position.

“The pit stop was really good from the team as well. We managed to jump a position there,” he explained. “Then the pace looked really strong. We were able to keep the guys behind and at one point even catch Nico and Rafa in front.”

Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov took the Feature Race victory, sending him to the top of the Championship Standings.

Forceful overtakes pave podium pathway

The drivers ahead of van Hopen following his pit stop included Nicolás Varrone and Rafael Villagómez in the tightly packed midfield battle, where overtaking proved difficult despite the assistance of DRS (drag reduction system).

According to Van Hoepen, the powerful of DRS helped close gaps but did not always guarantee a pass once drivers became part of a train.

“The DRS was quite powerful, but as soon as you’re in the DRS train it’s very difficult to actually make an overtake,” the 20-year-old said. “Luckily there was some exciting stuff happening in front of me which meant I could go through quite cleanly, which helped me a lot.”

He explained he had to work hard to pass Varrone, but once he secured a strong exit out of the corner, the move became more straightforward.

“With Varrone it was a bit tricky to get past, but as soon as you have a good exit and the guy in front doesn’t have the DRS it’s not too difficult,” Van Hoepen added.

Long podium wait ends for Trident

The result marked Trident’s first Formula 2 podium since the 2024 round in Baku and highlighted the progress the team has made over the winter. Van Hoepen joined the team late last season at the Baku round and has been working closely with the squad to improve performance.

“We’ve done so much work in the off-season already from when I joined the team in Baku last year,” he said. “We knew it was going to be a tough job, but from that point on we started working like crazy.”

Van Hoepen praised the effort made by the team during the winter break to deliver a competitive package for the opening race weekend.

“I’m very impressed with the team with how much they’ve done in the off-season to give me a car capable of doing this in the first round already,” he said. “We knew we were on the right track after testing in Barcelona, but we still have a lot to improve. To be here already is a good start for sure.”

The podium result provides early momentum for both Van Hoepen and Trident as the Formula 2 season gets underway, signalling that the team could be a regular contender near the front of the field in 2026.

Image – Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images