Dutch
The climb
Laurens van Hoepen is a Dutch racing driver who climbed the FIA single-seater ladder from Formula 3 into Formula 2. He started karting aged eight and won the IAME Euro Series X30 Mini class in 2017, sharpening his craft under two notable mentors — Nico Rosberg's racing academy and Charles Leclerc's 'Leclerc by Lennox Racing.' He is also described as a protégé of Formula 2 and Formula E champion Nyck de Vries, a mentorship rather than a manufacturer academy tie.
Junior single-seaters
In the Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) across 2022–2023, van Hoepen showed flashes of his potential, including two rookie-class wins at Monaco in 2022. Over the winter he crossed the world to win the 2023 New Zealand Grand Prix in Formula Regional Oceania, a prestigious notch on his CV.
Formula 3
Van Hoepen contested two FIA Formula 3 seasons with ART Grand Prix. He took his first F3 pole at the Hungaroring in 2024 and finished 13th, then returned for 2025, adding two sprint podiums on his way to 12th overall — a second F3 year he later admitted to regretting, feeling it slowed his momentum.
Formula 2
He broke into FIA Formula 2 midway through 2025, signing with Trident from the Baku round and keeping the seat at Lusail and Yas Marina. Team manager Giacomo Ricci confirmed him full-time for 2026, completing his step up to the championship.
2026 season
The full-time Trident campaign began emphatically: van Hoepen took his maiden F2 podium with third place in the Melbourne Feature Race, the kind of result that announces a credible rookie. His three-round cameo with Trident at the end of 2025 — at Baku, Lusail and Yas Marina — clearly paid off, easing the transition to a full season. With the early standings showing him among the points-scorers and ahead of more experienced names, the Dutchman's first full F2 season has started on the front foot. After his second F3 year left him feeling stalled, the move up has given his career fresh momentum. The season remains in progress, and no title is decided.