Winner of the FIA Formula 2 Feature Race in Saudi Arabia, Richard Verschoor, admitted the lost Sprint Race victory made him more determined to clinch the top spot in Sunday’s Feature Race.

Verschoor crossed the line first in both races in Jeddah, but was denied the win on Saturday thanks to a five-second time penalty for forcing another car off track.

It meant Campos’ Arvid Lindblad was the victor, becoming the youngest driver in F2 history to score a win in the process. 

But the MP Motorsport driver bounced back on Sunday to win from ninth on the grid, running the ‘alternate’ strategy and starting the race on the medium compound tyre.

Verschoor pitted on Lap 23 and chased down pole-sitter Jak Crawford to snatch victory on the final lap of the race.

VERSCHOOR GETS THE W ??

FROM P9 TO P1 ???

WHAT A DRIVE by the Dutchman to clinch the Feature Race victory ?#F2 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/OsUAqrGxQJ

— Formula 2 (@Formula2) April 20, 2025

The Dutchman, who now leads the F2 Championship after his Feature Race charge, said he’s “stopped counting” how many victories he has lost through stewarding interventions in Formula 2.

On the penalty awarded during Saturday’s race, the 24-year-old said: “To be fair, if you purely look at the rules word-by-word, I would say [the stewards] gave the right call.

“But what they also always say is that they are using a bit of common sense.”

Verschoor added: “We are racing for the lead, battling hard.”

The Benschop-born ace was battling with the other Campos of Pepe Martí during the Sprint Race, with the stewards feeling Verschoor had failed to leave his Spanish rival enough space on the exit of Turn 2 at the start of Lap 5.

However, the penalty wasn’t announced for another several laps. 

Verschoor defended his driving during the Sprint Race, saying: “It wasn’t that I’ve completely pushed him into the wall or completely off track.

“When he overtook me (at the same corner a lap before), I backed off earlier, that’s why maybe it looked different,” he said, highlighting that he could have kept his foot in a bit longer and been forced off track as well.

Verschoor criticised the timing of the penalty, saying that, had there not been a late Safety Car, he could have built a gap to the cars behind, if the stewards had delivered the penalty sooner.

“The Safety Car made the penalty even harsher,” he said, but he says “accepted” the stewards decision even though he “didn’t like it”.

Image Credit: DutchPhotoAgency/MP Motorsport on Instagram