The penultimate round of the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship brought the fight to the deserts of Lusail, as MP Motorsport looked to close the season on a high. Returning to a track where the team had been strong one year prior, Richard Verschoor remained in championship contention while Oliver Goethe continued his impressive late-season form.
Free Practice
The weekend began under the blazing Qatari sun with shifting grip levels and high track temperatures defining the early running. Both Richard and Oliver were quick out of the box, consistently hovering within the top four during the opening stages.
Richard topped the timing sheets midway through the session with a 1:41.163 before the field switched to faster runs. In the closing minutes, the pace intensified, and after a flurry of late laps, the Dutch driver finished P6, just ahead of Oliver in P7, both showing strong one-lap performance and race pace.
Final Results:
Qualifying
As night fell over Lusail, cooler temperatures and calmer winds transformed track conditions for the 30-minute qualifying session. Both MP drivers looked sharp from the start, with Oliver slotting into the top four on his first flying lap and Richard remaining comfortably inside the top 10.
Oliver then delivered a stunning lap, clocking a 1:36.115, his maiden FIA Formula 2 pole position and MP Motorsport’s first of the season. Narrowly ahead of Fornaroli by just 0.040 seconds. Richard, unable to extract full potential on his final attempt after a messy sector two, ended P10, earning reverse-grid pole for the Sprint Race.
A few hours later, however, the FIA confirmed a three-place grid penalty for Oliver for impeding another driver on their flying lap, dropping him to P4 and handing pole to Fornaroli.
Final Results (Before Penalty):
Sprint Race
Saturday’s Sprint Race began with Richard on reverse-grid pole and determined to capitalize. A lightning start initially saw Duerksen edge ahead into Turn 1, but Richard quickly reclaimed the lead on Lap 4 with a bold move into Turn 1 using DRS to perfection.
Once ahead, the Dutchman controlled the pace effortlessly, extending his lead to over four seconds by mid-distance. A late Safety Car neutralized the race following contact between the Trident pair, wiping away Richard’s advantage and setting up a tense final-lap restart.
Keeping his composure, Richard nailed the restart and held firm to take his fourth victory of the season and eighth in Formula 2, equalling the record for most career wins in the series. Oliver, starting from P13 after his penalty, battled hard but couldn’t find rhythm in the dirty air, finishing in P14.
“Very happy to take the win today. Not necessarily the race we wanted to win but still, we took home a lot of points. I’m very excited tomorrow because the pace is looking very strong.” – Richard Verschoor
Race 1 Results:
Feature Race
Sunday’s Feature Race brought tension and high stakes. With the championship mathematically within reach, Richard aimed to keep his title hopes alive, while Oliver looked to convert his top-four grid position into points.
As the lights went out, both MP drivers launched well. Oliver maintaining position in the top five through the first corners, while Richard began his climb from midfield. The opening laps were chaotic as tire degradation and sand on track played their part.
Both drivers pitted early for Hard tyres, Richard on Lap 6, Oliver on Lap 7, timing that would prove costly when the Safety Car was deployed just one lap later, allowing much of the field to pit under yellow.
Oliver’s race took an unfortunate turn on Lap 15 as a mechanical failure forced him to stop on track, bringing his race to an early end. Richard pressed on, carving his way up the order with determined overtakes on Villagómez and Staněk, eventually finishing P6 and adding more crucial points to his season tally.
Despite another strong recovery, Fornaroli’s podium finish mathematically secured him the Drivers’ Championship, leaving Richard tied on points and wins with Crawford in the fight for P2 heading into the finale.
Race 2 Results:
Looking Ahead
With only one round remaining, the battle for second place in the Drivers’ Championship is wide open. Richard heads into Yas Marina tied on points and wins with Jack Crawford, setting up a thrilling finale to his 2025 campaign.
MP Motorsport remains fifth in the Teams’ Championship but within striking distance of fourth, aiming to close the season as strongly as they started it.
Drivers Championship
Teams Championship:
