Laurens van Hoepen seized Formula 2 sprint pole at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve during the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix weekend, producing a late 1:21.422 to top the times. The Trident driver edged Invicta Racing’s Rafael Camara by 0.267s, with Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Dunne third, 0.287s off the benchmark.
Championship leader Nikola Tsolov led Campos Racing’s challenge in fourth, narrowly missing the top three by 0.312s. Martinius Stenshorne ensured two Rodin cars featured in the top five, while Invicta’s Joshua Dürksen slotted into sixth.
Trident’s strong day was underlined by John Bennett in seventh, adding depth to the team’s front-running pace. Campos placed a second car inside the top 10 with Noel Leon in eighth, ahead of Van Amersfoort Racing’s Rafael Villagomez in ninth.
Gabriele Mini rounded out the top 10 for MP Motorsport, followed closely by Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. for AIX Racing and Nicolas Varrone for Van Amersfoort Racing. It was a session to forget for former IndyCar driver Colton Herta, who managed only the 21st-fastest time for Hitech.
F2 Canadian GP qualifying results: - 1. Laurens van Hoepen (Trident) 1:21.422 - 2. Rafael Camara (Invicta Racing) +0.267 - 3. Alex Dunne (Rodin Motorsport) +0.287 - 4. Nikola Tsolov (Campos Racing) +0.312 - 5. Martinius Stenshorne (Rodin Motorsport) +0.322 - 6. Joshua Dürksen (Invicta Racing) +0.358 - 7. John Bennett (Trident) +0.399 - 8. Noel Leon (Campos Racing) +0.459 - 9. Rafael Villagomez (Van Amersfoort Racing) +0.480 - 10. Gabriele Mini (MP Motorsport) +0.549 - 11. Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. (AIX Racing) +0.579 - 12. Nicolas Varrone (Van Amersfoort Racing) +0.656 - 13. Kush Maini (ART Grand Prix) +0.663 - 14. Dino Beganovic (DAMS Lucas Oil) +0.785 - 15. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak (ART Grand Prix) +0.799 - 16. Roman Bilinski (DAMS Lucas Oil) +0.854 - 17. Ritomo Miyata (Hitech) +0.934 - 18. Cian Shields (AIX Racing) +1.023 - 19. Oliver Goethe (MP Motorsport) +1.283 - 20. Sebastian Montoya (Prema Racing) +1.387 - 21. Colton Herta (Hitech) +1.435 - 22. Mari Boya (Prema Racing) +1.641
Attention now turns to the sprint race in Montreal, where van Hoepen will look to convert pole into victory. With Tsolov starting from fourth and several teams showing competitive pace, the battle behind the pole-sitter will be one to watch across the rest of the weekend.
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*Originally published on [Formula 1 News](https://newsformula.one/article/f2-montreal-van-hoepen-snatches-sprint-pole-in-canada). Visit for full coverage.*
