Verschoor pleased with fast Monza start ahead of crucial Qualifying session

5 September 2025

Richard Verschoor made the fastest start following the summer break, ending up quickest overall in Practice at Monza for MP Motorsport.

The Dutch driver set a 1:32.547 late in the session to lead the pack, and speaking afterwards, said that the team had made a solid start to their weekend ahead of Qualifying.

“It was a good session, we went a bit later than others but to be honest, I felt confident with the car,” he explained. “The new asphalt at Monza is a big change. It was here last year as well, but it’s quite nice to drive, less bumps and more grip so it’s even more fun that it used to be.

“It was a good session overall. Ending on top was good, but we stopped early so maybe things would have changed. I felt good though, improving and improving before the Red Flag came out so it was good.”

MP’s opting to run later in the session than some of their rivals meant they had better track conditions, but Verschoor says that regardless of that, the team had made a positive start to the weekend.

Running on the red-walled Soft Pirelli tyres in Practice, teams will now switch to the Supersoft tyres for Qualifying. Though the purple-marked tyres are a step softer, Verschoor says their characteristics are similar to the Softs, putting MP in a positive position for the session.

Verschoor is yet to take a pole position so far in 2025, but after the speed he and teammate Oliver Goethe were able to display in Practice, he’s feeling confident that they will be in contention later this afternoon.

Verschoor is targeting his first pole of the season after a promising start in Monza

“I think the track evolution was quite big. To be honest, I’m not sure how things were in the beginning because I wasn’t out there early on. But if I look at F3, the track was improving a lot, and we went out a bit later which helps, but there’s still a good feeling ahead of later.

“We had the Softs in FP whereas usually it’s the Mediums, but now for Qualifying we’ll move onto the Supersoft, which usually isn’t too different but maybe the track evolution will be quite big.

“We’ll have to push the car to the limit quite a lot, and it’ll be good fun. I’m hoping it’s not too much chaos. You could see already in FP that people were fighting for the tow, but I hope it’s not too chaotic later. I’m feeling confident though, I think we have a good car. A little tow would be nice but if not, we’ll try doing it on our own.”