F3 driver Van Hoepen ever closer to his big dream: 'I know I'm good'

His first season had highs and lows; with three podium finishes in sprint races, but also an unfortunate disqualification after the feature race in Hungary - where Van Hoepen had just finished in an impressive second place. More important than the results is his personal development, obviously focused on that one goal. "Really driving at the limit of the car," Van Hoepen first mentions in conversation with GPblog when asked about what he learned in particular in F3.

"Here you feel the downforce much more than in FRECA (the class in which Van Hoepen was active last year). With any car, even if you drive a Renault Clio, you get oversteer. In that respect, it's not much different. But the cornering speed you can take here is much greater than in FRECA. And what I am also learning further is managing the tyres; getting them up to temperature, making sure they are in the right window. You really have to sense when to push and when to hold back. That is so difficult. Even in Formula 1 those guys make mistakes in that. I notice that it is getting better and better, that I have the feeling: 'Now I can push, now I have grip'."

Steadier in his decisions

Van Hoepen is certainly not done learning. As the F1 cars race by, he says: "Anyway, making the right decisions could be better, as I don't always take them yet. Not just on the track, but also when you are in the pitlane and you have done a lap. For example in Barcelona, then in my first qualifying run I had understeer. Then we went to oversteer and I had that too much. I had both. So what I mean to say: I have to be more calm. Thinking, 'I'm upset, I have to live with that'. Then I just have to adjust."

But, Van Hoepen stresses, it is "all little things" he needs to improve. In further fine-tuning, the driver from Wassenaar will get help from 'mentor' Nyck de Vries. "He was there at Silverstone, for example. If I have a question, I call him and we discuss what's best. He helps me a lot with that. For the rest, I work with the team," says Van Hoepen, who also learns a lot from the F1 sessions. "Especially on the livestream, you're watching. What is F1 doing, what lines are they driving? Not that you don't know the line yourself. But rather that you look at; if they are driving different lines now, they are putting down a lot more rubber and it could be that you are better off driving there."

Van Hoepen as a young adult

Anyone who hears Van Hoepen talk like this certainly does not think they are dealing with an 18-year-old youngster. Like many drivers, he seems much older than his birth certificate says. "From a young age, you are raised in a very professional environment," the Dutchman explains how that is possible. "In karting, you are already working with data, with tyres. When you start so young, you are forced to grow up quickly. Which is good. I do notice a difference with my friends in the Netherlands. They are just studying, which is still a very different way of life than I have at the moment."

Van Hoepen graduated high school in 2023, but where his classmates chose to study, he went full-time for racing. "I do try to learn things besides racing, because it is very important to keep growing as a person, on and off the track. That's how you become a better person. That you are broad-minded; if you see a maths sum somewhere, that you can solve it. I'm looking at doing a small study alongside it. But I'm not going to drop anything from racing so I can study."

Van Hoepen is confident

First, it's about everything to reach F1. Van Hoepen realises that of the 50 drivers currently racing in F2 and F3, a maximum of three will make it to Formula 1. "Out of those 50, that's how I know about myself - and that's a stupid thing to say about yourself - that I'm good. I don't know if I'm the best, it's hard to say. And in the end the chances are so small, it also has a lot to do with luck. If you are with the right F2 team at the right time, just as F1 drivers are leaving, then you have a very good chance. But you can also become F2 champion, and no one leaves in Formula 1; you can be so good, you won't get there. See Théo Pourchaire last year."

His future is still unclear. Talks are ongoing with F1 teams to join their programme, but that is something for those around him to sort out. And which class will Van Hoepen compete in in '25? "Because ultimately the goal is Formula 1, I think it would be good to do an extra year in F3. To fight for the title, also because I keep learning a lot every weekend. Yes, I have already gained a lot of experience. But once in F2, you have to be there right away. You want to give yourself the best chance. And to do that, it might be better to do another year of F3. But the downside is that there will be a new F3 car. So it remains to be seen which team will be fast and which slow. That does add to the complexity."

This article has been written in collaboration with Matt Gretton