Verschoor wins strategic duel and Main Race in Austria

With a drying track after a rainy morning on the Red Bull Ring, the teams racked their brains to choose the right tires for the start of this Main Race. If the leading group opted for wet tires, Richard Verschoor (Trident) was one of those who chose the ultra-softs. A daring gamble which ultimately paid off at the finish.

If the start was tricky with the drivers on resistant rain tires in the first laps, Richard Verschoor immediately benefited from his choice. After waiting for a few moments, the Dutchman went on the attack and wasted no time in starting his comeback. Faster on an increasingly dry track, the Trident driver took advantage of the passage through the pits of his counterparts on a different strategy to take control of the race.

With a clear track in front of him, Richard Verschoor was then able to impose his own pace and distance his pursuers while the drivers who started on wet tires tumbled down the rankings like poleman Frederik Vesti (ART Grand Prix) almost expelled from the Top 10. A godsend for the Batavian who did not ask for so much. The hardest part, Verschoor was then able to negotiate his pit stop without incident from which he emerged in control and with a nice margin over the rest of the peloton.

Rain of penalties

Intractable during the 40 laps of the race, Richard Verschoor finally had a lenient Sunday outing. Thanks to a better strategic choice, the Dutchman was able to reach the finish line with complete peace of mind to secure his second victory of the season, three months after his success in the Sprint Race in Bahrain at the start of the season. On the line, the Trident driver beat Roberto Merhi (Campos), replacement for Ralph Boschung and author of a magnificent comeback from 21st place, but the latter was ultimately expelled from the podium.

Like many of his counterparts, the Spaniard did not escape the race management who were intransigent with the limits of the track. After 3 warnings and when he had just overtaken Jehan Daruvala (Prema) to gain 2nd place with one lap remaining, Roberto Merhi received a 5 second penalty, thus falling to 5th place. The Campos driver sanctioned, it was Daruvala who recovered 2nd position while Logan sargeant (Carlin) completed the podium ahead of Enzo Fittipaldi (Charouz) in Austria.

Drugovich-Pourchaire status quo

Starting on rain tires, Felipe Drugovich (MP Motorsport) and Theo Pourchaire (ART Grand Prix) were not in their element this Sunday. It was first of all the Brazilian who was trapped by his strategic choice by falling beyond 12th place. The Frenchman was clinging to the Top 10 but the double stop at ART Grand Prix made him lose precious seconds which resulted in a fall in the rankings.

Excluded from the race for victory or even the podium, Felipe Drugovich and Théo Pourchaire were unable to do anything during the second part of the race. Buried in the peloton, the two strong men of this 2 season may have grabbed a few positions but their race was already doomed. In the tough, they reached the finish one behind the other with the Auriverde 2022th and the Tricolore 13th more than 14 seconds behind Richard Verschoor. In the championship, this has changed nothing since Drugovich remains in the lead with 30 points ahead of Pourchaire.

ALSO READ > Helmut Marko: “ If he performs in F2, there is a high probability of seeing Isack Hadjar in F1 in 2024 »