Ricci ‘super happy’ with van Hoepen’s P2 in Miami despite narrowly missing out on victory

Laurens van Hoepen was just two corners away from victory in the Miami Sprint, but despite ending up second, his TRIDENT Team Manager Giacomo Ricci is delighted by the result.

The Dutch driver had been in a race long battle with Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov and took the lead from his rival on the final lap at Turn 11.

But this meant van Hoepen was without DRS going down the back straight into Turn 17, allowing Tsolov to close in, before making a move to the inside and beating him in a drag race to the line.

The TRIDENT driver did hold off Rodin Motorsport’s Alexander Dunne to finish in second, giving him and the team a second consecutive podium – after his P3 in the Melbourne Feature Race.

Reflecting on the race after the podium celebrations, Ricci said: “I have to say it was very exciting for everyone. It was very tight at the end.

“We were hoping for the win, but again we are super happy with the P2. Also I am extremely pleased with how we have started the season so far. To have a double podium, after such a tough year in 2025, this year is definitely better.

“The car seems in a better spot, so I'm extremely pleased with the job of everyone. There is a very good atmosphere within the team, and Laurens and also John, they are motivated.

“So we have to keep up the momentum and try to be as consistent as possible through the championship.”

The Italian team is coming off a tough year in which they finished last in the Teams’ Championship having scored just two points.

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Ricci paid tribute to his entire team from drivers to engineers for the work they did to improve over the winter.

“Well, we reviewed everything,” said Ricci on TRIDENT’s winter program. “We started from scratch in Abu Dhabi last year during the post-season test.

“I have to thank both drivers, because they were extremely patient. They looked at everything to understand where we were.

“Now the car is in the good window. I think for both now it's easy to deliver. It's closer to what we've been able to achieve for a very, very long time in Formula 3.”

Ricci continued to praise his drivers, as while van Hoepen has qualified ahead of John Bennett twice this year and has achieved two podiums, he says it is much closer between the two teammates.

“John is very close to Laurens,” explained Ricci. “But because the championship level is so high, when you are maybe a tenth-and-a-half, two-tenths off your teammate, then you are not in the top 10 in qualifying.

“Then as we know the weekend becomes more difficult. But I'm extremely pleased with his attitude, with the effort that he's putting in with the team, and also with the chemistry that there is with his engineers.

“So he's looking good and for me, he's progressing and I'm expecting him to be in the points soon.”

Ricci says his hopes for the rest of the season are for TRIDENT to be consistent and to continue their momentum. That starts with Sunday’s Feature Race, and he says there will be a lot of work before then to find any improvements in their car.

“Well, it depends on the strategy,” said Ricci when asked about the possibilities for Sunday. “As we know, Formula 2 can be extremely unpredictable, especially with a Safety Car.

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“Our target is to score points, finish the race and do our best. In Melbourne, we had an absolutely great race. It was quite impressive and allowed us to finish P3, so let's see what happens tomorrow.

“We will work as hard as we can this afternoon in order to provide the best package possible to each driver. We're looking forward to a little bit of luck, which you always need in F2.”