Following a dramatic and pace-filled weekend in Bahrain, MP Motorsport arrived in Jeddah with confidence—and delivered a weekend full of grit, speed, and strategic brilliance. Richard Verschoor claimed a heroic Feature Race win with a last-lap overtake after a controversial Sprint Race result, while Oliver Goethe showed strong racecraft throughout. With the Drivers' and Championship now led by Richard the season is on.
Practice
The weekend began under the sun of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, with high track temperatures and tight margins defining the sole practice session. Richard Verschoor and Oliver Goethe both demonstrated promising pace, consistently hovering around the top 10 throughout the session.
Final Results:
Qualifying
Qualifying brought drama as a late-session red flag interrupted flying laps just meters seconds completion. Richard was just 100+ meters from the line on a lap projected to slot him into the top five when the session was halted. Oliver, on a similar run, also lost his chance due to the red flag chaos.
Final Results:
Sprint Race
With a post-qualifying shuffle, Richard started the Sprint Race from reverse-grid pole. He launched into a commanding early lead, fending off challenges from Marti and Lindblad in a thrilling four-way battle. A bold move into Turn 1 to reclaim the lead on Lap 5 defined the race—but late heartbreak struck as Richard was handed a time penalty for forcing a rival off at Turn 2. Despite crossing the line in P1 and setting the fastest lap, the penalty demoted him to P4. Oliver climbed to P11 but couldn’t break into the points.
Sprint Race Results:
Feature Race
Redemption came swiftly on Sunday. Both drivers started on the alternate strategy, giving up early grip for a powerful finish. Richard climbed steadily, overtaking Mini on Lap 6 and shadowing Lindblad by Lap 9. With most of the soft tyre runners pitting, MP Motorsport’s gamble paid off as Richard and Ollie rose to P1 and P4 respectively by mid-race.
From Lap 15 onwards, Richard’s pace exploded, setting purple sectors and extending his lead to over three seconds. A flawless pit stop on Lap 23 put him back out in P2, just 0.7s behind Crawford (virtual leader) on worn tyres. On the very last lap, Richard surged past into Turn 1 and claimed a breathtaking win.
Feature Race Results:
Looking Ahead
MP Motorsport leaves Saudi Arabia not only with redemption but with renewed dominance. Richard now leads the Drivers’ Championship, and the team is near the lead of the Teams' standings after a weekend of pace, adversity, and strategy. With the European season about to kick off, the momentum is firmly in our hands.
