ART Grand Prix’s Laurens van Hoepen finally claimed his first Formula 3 pole position after a tricky qualifying session at the Hungaroring. Feeder Series spoke to the Dutch driver about how his consistency across qualifying finally paid off. 

By Tori Turner

Van Hoepen became the seventh different driver to achieve a pole position this season in F3 after topping the timing screens with a lap time of 1:33.935. His lap time left him over two tenths ahead of his teammate Nikola Tsolov, allowing ART to lock out the front row for the feature race.

The F3 drivers faced track temperatures of 55°C during Friday’s qualifying alongside strong winds which caused several drivers to struggle in the conditions. Unlike other qualifying sessions, the drivers were only able to complete one flying lap on their tyres before cooling them down and switching over to another set. Even with an issue of his own during his final run, van Hoepen was able to set a strong lap which left him on pole after Hitech’s Luke Browning crashed into the barriers. 

“I think because the track was so hot today, it was really, really tricky to put a lap together,” he said. “The track temps were through the roof so that makes the car a lot more unstable for everyone. A lot of people have huge snaps as you can see. It was a tricky lap, but in the end I managed to pull it together, even with some obstacles. I would say I didn’t make the last sector easy for myself but I put it together and in the end, it was a good lap.”

Van Hoepen’s pole position today also extends his statistic as being the only driver this season to qualify in the top 12 for each race. His season began with two 12th-place positions on the grid, but his results have gradually improved throughout the rounds. Before his pole, his highest result came during the previous round in Silverstone where he placed 5th.

“I think it’s very nice,” Van Hoepen told Feeder Series after being made aware of the statistic. “I think it really shows how consistent we’ve been this year, although it’s not always been the highest in quali. We’ve been consistent and always been there or thereabouts which shows we always have been sort of been there to be close to fighting for pole. That’s also why I said finally, because we’ve always been in the top 12.”

Van Hoepen also acknowledged that one of his main strengths as a driver is his ability to perform over one lap in qualifying. He gave insight into why he is able to achieve such results in the sessions.

“Qualifying is really one of the strong points of what I’ve been doing this year,” he said. “I’ve always managed to take a lot out of the car and really use the grip available that we have. It’s nice to qualify so well this year.” 

Despite having two reverse grid poles this year, van Hoepen has been unable to convert either of them into a win. His two chances ended in podiums in both the Bahrain and Melbourne sprints. All three of the Dutch driver’s podiums this season have occurred during the sprint races, as well as seven out of his eight points finishes. When asked about what was needed for him to secure his first feature race podium and potential maiden victory, van Hoepen was clear on his strategy for Sunday.

“First of all, it starts with the start. We’ll have a good start and then manage the tyres as well. You have to make sure you manage them well and then bring them to the end of the race. It’s hard to overtake on this track, but not impossible. So you still have to be focused on doing your job.”

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency