John Bennett made a lasting impression in front of the Formula 1 crowds with a terrific debut performance in the FIA Formula 2 Championship in Qatar this past weekend (30 November-01 December), scoring an eight place finish with a stunning charge through the field.
The Salisbury-based single-seater talent grabbed an opportunity given to him by the Van Amersfoort Racing squad with both hands, as he joined the Dutch outfit for the final two FIA F2 rounds after being crowned vice champion from a great GB3 Championship campaign.
Looking to impress ahead of an intended graduation in 2025 after shining during official FIA Formula 3 tests in Jerez and Barcelona last month, Bennett took to the Lusail circuit in Qatar on Friday morning eager to learn quickly in his new environment.
His adaptability was once again displayed in abundance, as he clocked the joint-highest lap count of anybody in free practice and then immediately got the better of his team-mate in a tight qualifying session that put him on row 10 - already under two seconds from the experienced runners up front.
A 23-lap sprint race on Saturday was the first order of the weekend's double-header in Qatar, and it started in style when Bennett launched away from the grid to climb two spots without incident. He made quick work of dispatching Cian Shields following a Virtual Safety Car period, before picking off Amaury Cordeel to continue his charge.
A late incident ahead of the VAR driver was to his benefit as he took the chequered flag narrowly short of points in a superb 12th place, the rookie finishing seven places better off and just over four seconds from the victor ahead of Sunday's feature race.
When the lights went out the next day however, Bennett's car remained stationary on the grid, seemingly dashing his hopes as he rejoined a lap down on the field. He pushed on though and regained the lap through a double safety car interruption, setting him up for a magnificent late race charge as he climbed up towards the fringes of the top ten with his pace on the Medium compound tyres.
As those ahead completed their pit stops - out of sync with the likes of Bennett who pitted early on in the 32-lapper - it allowed the VAR driver to climb the order to an impressive eighth place by the chequered flag, to also assure himself of points in his debut weekend.
John Bennett: “A very, very busy weekend! I'm extremely grateful to the VAR team for giving me this opportunity after we enjoyed a consistently strong test together in FIA Formula 3 recently.
"It was a big jump to make and one that you have to take with both hands to use as the perfect opportunity to educate yourself. Straight from the off on Friday it was important to get the laps in and learn the car, and soon we were looking in good shape.
"I felt that we did a great job in our first race on Saturday. The car got stronger and stronger and we really grew into the race from where we started. Making up seven places was exactly what we needed, so I'm delighted with that for a debut. Sunday started with difficulty, but we kept our heads and called the strategy perfectly to charge through for a fantastic points finish.
"All-in-all, I'm very happy with that and there were a lot of positives to take from Qatar. Now we'll get back to business straight away this weekend and aim to make more progress at Abu Dhabi."
Bennett will conclude a successful season this coming weekend (07/08 December), as he joins the F2 field with VAR once more for the final event of the season at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.
Image from James Gasperotti.
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