Trident inches close to points zone with Staněk, Novalak sets fastest lap

Trident inches close to points zone with Staněk, Novalak sets fastest lap
                   
The Feature Race, which concluded the sixth round of the FIA Formula 2 Championship at the technical circuit of Montmelò, saw the Trident Motorsport drivers miss out on the points zone mainly due to their backward position on the starting grid.

The pace shown by both cars of the Italian squad was solid, as highlighted by the positive recovery of Roman Staněk and by the fastest lap set by Clément Novalak. In the qualifying session, Staněk and Novalak could not go beyond P17 and P18 respectively and shared the ninth row of the starting grid.
 
That position exposed them to the risk of being involved in contacts. Novalak collided with a rival, Hadjar, who was later penalised, during the opening lap. The driver from Avignon was forced to make an additional pit stop to carry out checks, which ruined his race. However, he was able to secure the fastest lap.

 Staněk kept a solid race pace and recovered up to P12 after switching to the Prime tyres on lap 13. Now the Formula 2 championship is taking a month off. The next round of the season is scheduled at the Red Bull Ring, in Austria, on the first weekend of July.
 
Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager, Feature Race quote
 
“Unfortunately, we weren't able to score points this weekend unlike at Monte Carlo. Our drivers didn't experience a brilliant qualifying session, a circumstance that had a negative impact on their weekend. Staněk maintained a fairly solid pace and finished close to the points, while Novalak was hit by another car during the opening lap. He set the fastest lap in the race, but the additional stop in the pit lane precluded him from having any chance to fight for the points".