Van Hoepen satisfied with Monza Qualifying as he targets Sprint Race victory

5 September 2025

Laurens van Hoepen admits that the nature of Qualifying around Monza means he is satisfied with a top 12 result, even if he feels he and ART Grand Prix were capable of much more.

The Dutch driver ran in Group A and like the majority of his rivals, he opted against heading onto circuit early, instead choosing to take to the track with less than five minutes left on the clock.

This caused a lot of jostling for position and meant that for everyone not named Alessandro Giusti, Tim Tramnitz and Callum Voisin did not have enough time for a second push lap.

Van Hoepen though used his one attempt to complete a 1:38.988 which put him sixth in Group A, 0.375s off the top time set by Ugo Ugochukwu.

As Group B ended up with the quickest times, van Hoepen will start Saturday’s Sprint Race from reverse grid pole, and will also line up P12 for Sunday’s Feature Race.

Van Hoepen was pleased with the Qualifying result given how it all went

Reflecting on the result, van Hoepen said: “It's okay because we are still in the top 12. I think there was a little bit more in there, but still overall because it's Monza I am content with the result.

“It’s not because I think it's where we could have been, it’s just because there was so much chaos that it should be fine.”

QUALIFYING: Benavides beats Ugochukwu to pole with last gasp attempt in Monza

Talking through the Qualifying action and the battling for position in order to get a tow down the straights, van Hoepen explained what the drivers’ thought process was during the session.

“In Qualifying, everyone was finding a tow and nobody wants to go and pull everybody, it's always like that here,” he explained.

Van Hoepen talked about the justling for track position that took place during Qualifying

“It's the same for everyone, or at least for 80% in my group. You just have to deal with it and do the best you can.”

The ART driver has achieved four podium finishes so far in Formula 3, but has not yet taken a win in the Championship, however, is in prime position to do so on Saturday.

When asked about targeting the win, he replied: "Yes, for sure,” immediately, but he is also aware of the challenges that they face, especially down the long straights.

“I mean we are not the strongest in the straights,” he acknowledged. “But still, I feel like we can do a good job in both races, especially with everything that happens around here.”