A collision at the start keeps the Trident drivers away from the points

The FIA Formula 2 Championship’s thirteenth round of the season, at the Losail track on the outskirts of the Qatar capital, Doha, today saw the drivers of the second category compete in the Sprint Race. In the qualifying session, Trident Motorsport drivers Max Esterson and Christian Mansell respectively set the thirteenth and twentieth best times.

At the start, the New York-born driver spun his tires, losing a few positions. After a few hundred meters a contact involving Esterson himself and a rival hindered the path of Christian Mansell, who was forced off the track to avoid contact. The two Trident Motorsport drivers, returning to action from the back of the grid, were thus forced to a complicated recovery race.

Max Esterson concluded his first race in the FIA Formula 2 Championship in fourteenth position, maintaining an encouraging race pace, close to the one of Christian Mansell, who finished right behind the sister car. The race was neutralized three laps from the end due to an accident that led to the freezing of positions. Now the Trident Motorsport racers will analyze the data collected in the Sprint Race in preparation for the Feature Race, scheduled tomorrow at 3.20 pm local time, two hours ahead of CET. The Feature Race, which includes a mandatory pit stop to change tires, will allow the technical staff to also play the strategy card in the team’s effort to finish in the points. 

Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager: “The contact at the first corner involving Max Esterson and a rival also negatively affected Christian Mansell's race. The Australian driver, to avoid triggering a multiple collision, had to turn wide and go off the track, rejoining the race at the back of the group behind his American teammate. From that moment on, it was a catch-up race for our riders, who both showed good things. On the track, there were several compact groups one behind the other,  which made overtaking difficult. Mansell and Esterson were therefore unable to reach the points. The race was characterized by the intervention of the safety car at the end, which regrouped the field, but the race eventually the race ended under yellow.”