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RACE ANALYSIS: Is Richard Verschoor an alternative strategy master?
Richard Verschoor was in stunning form this past weekend in Jeddah, coming through the field from ninth on the grid to win the Feature Race.
The MP Motorsport driver made perfect use of the alternative strategy on Sunday to come out on top, a day after he lost out on the Sprint Race victory due to a late race penalty.
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But what his Team Manager Jeremy Cotterill called a “redemption” drive was made possible by an epic first stint on the Medium tyre. He then bolted on the Supersofts in the closing stages, before overtaking Jak Crawford on the final lap to seal the win.
What was also impressive is that Verschoor and MP’s strategy was not the fastest on Sunday. Of all the drivers that started on the Mediums, only the Dutchman and Kush Maini, who wound up 10th, ended up in the points.
Their experience certainly shone through, especially for Verschoor, who has a recent history of using this strategy to end up on a podium…
2023 SPIELBERG FEATURE RACE – P1
A year after a technical infringement cost him a victory, Verschoor achieved another redemption victory in the Spielberg Feature Race.
After qualifying in P11, the Dutchman started on the Softs compared to the majority of the front runners on Supersofts – Enzo Fittipaldi in P6 the only driver ahead of him to start on Softs.
Having not pitted, Fittipaldi and Verschoor were the top two when Arthur Leclerc pulled over to the side of the road, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car.
It was converted into a full Safety Car on Lap 29 of 40, and Verschoor came in immediately to put on the Supersofts, while Fittipaldi came in on the next lap and dropped to ninth.
Once racing resumed on Lap 33 Verschoor was the lead runner on the alternative strategy in P5 ahead of Ayumu Iwasa in P6, while Fittipaldi was down in P6.
As a pair, Verschoor and Iwasa overtook Victor Martins, Théo Pourchaire, Jack Doohan and Frederik Vesti before battling out on the final lap for the win.
Verschoor was able to hold on, using the Prime-Option strategy to claim victory.
2024 BUDAPEST FEATURE RACE – P3
While he may not have secured another visit to the top step following another disqualification for a technical infringement in the Sprint, a podium was a nice result for Verschoor.
Starting in P10, Verschoor was the third car on the Hard tyre behind Zane Maloney and Andrea Kimi Antonelli. However, he lost a place to Franco Colapinto at the start, who was on the same strategy as him.
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Verschoor was up to second behind Antonelli after the Soft tyre runners opted to pit under the first Safety Car following a collision between Maloney and Paul Aron.
A second Safety Car was needed on Lap 22, allowing both Antonelli and Verschoor to come in for the Softs. The former came out in fifth and went on to win the race, while the Dutchman was down in 10th.
With several overtakes including a last lap move on Gabriel Bortoleto at the exit of Turn 1, Verschoor took P3, once again making the alternative strategy work.
2024 YAS MARINA FEATURE RACE – P3
On his second race weekend back in MP Motorsport colours, Verschoor turned another midfield start into a podium, once again using the Prime-Option approach.
Starting 14th on the Medium tyre, the 24-year-old’s first stint was outstanding and once the Supersoft cars pitted, he was second on the road behind fellow alternative strategy runner, Josep María Martí.
READ MORE: Round 3 Post-Feature Race Press Conference
But such was his pace that he was able to not only catch up and pass Martí, who was third after Lap 1, but from Lap 18 to 27 he built up an 8.8s lead over the Campos Racing driver.
Having pitted on Lap 28 and come out in P6, a charge for the final few laps helped him finish third in the last race of the season, giving him a second podium on his return to MP after his P3 in Lusail Sprint.
2025 JEDDAH FEATURE RACE - P1
The Dutch driver fought back on Sunday after receiving a five-second penalty for forcing another driver off the track at the end of the Sprint Race, costing him victory and seeing him finish fourth.
Putting his frustrations to the side, Verschoor returned for the Feature Race, lining up in P9 as the lead driver on the Medium tyres.
FEATURE RACE: Verschoor secures redemption victory in Jeddah
Verschoor’s first stint was again tremendous and even after net race leader Crawford pitted for his new Mediums, he was still over half a second quicker on average than the DAMS driver.
He then put on the Supersoft tyre on Lap 23 of 28. He chased down Crawford in a few laps before overtaking the American for the lead on the final lap on his way to taking the win.
This victory was a perfect way to make up for losing out in the Sprint. It also put him 53 points and at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, leading Martí by 12 as we make our way to Europe.
In all of these scenarios, there is a little bit of luck that has gone Verschoor’s way, whether it be the appearance of a Safety Car or the lack of one.
But Verschoor has made his own luck, as in all of these races, he has not been the only one on the alternative strategy. His ability to maximise stint lengths and maintain pace have put him in these positions to capitalise on the opportunities presented to him.
As CEO Bruno Michel said at the of the weekend, the Dutchman is proving to be a “benchmark” for the younger drivers. This is not only in terms of pace, because Verschoor is also showing what can be done when you manage the tyres effectively.