Fortec Motorsport rookie Alex Lynn scored his first British Formula 3 pole position at Silverstone this morning.
A stunning lap from the Essex born racer in the final minutes of the session took his beyond the reaches of Carlin rivals Jazeman Jaafar and Jack Harvey.
From spending much of the session lingering around the top five, Lynn pulled together a stunning lap after twenty-seven minutes to drag himself three-tenths clear of danger.
Lynn – last year’s Formula Renault UK champion – has displayed a great deal of speed on a number of occasions this season; however up until today, pole had eluding the 18-year-old.
Championship challenger Jaafar headed much of the session and while he will not covet the top spot, the Malaysian does at least start ahead of points leader Harvey.
Carlos Sainz Jr took 4th place in his Carlin, as he aims to hold onto his top four championship position. Behind him, Harry Tincknell (Carlin, 5th) and Hannes van Asseldonk (Fortec, 6th) will line up on the third row of the grid.
It proved to a disappointing morning for Harvey’s other title rival Felix Serralles (Fortec). After ending yesterday’s practice over one second off the pace, the Puerto Rican struggled to climb the order this morning, solidifying 7th on the grid.
Alongside Serralles is Pietro Fantin (Carlin) – another driver who has endured his fair share of troubles this season.
Rupert Svendsen-Cook’s return to British F3* was not an easy one. Replacing the lacklustre Fahmi Ilyas at Double R, the Briton struggled to garner ultimate pace from the Mercedes-powered machine, dropping to 9th as the chequered flag flew.
It was a disappointing result for Svendsen-Cook, who had taken a top three position during Friday practice.
Behind Svendsen-Cook, were Pipo Derani (Fortec, 10th) and Nick McBride (T-Sport, 11th). Geoff Uhrhane had initially qualified 11th, but his best time was deleted post-qualifying after the Double R man had breached the track limits on his best lap – he now starts 12th.
Spike Goddard claimed the National Class pole and 13th overall for T-Sport. The Australian kept himself ahead of class rivals Pedro Pablo Calbimonte and Duvashen Padayachee for the duration of the session.
Lynn also took top spot for the opening race with Jaafar, Harvey and Sainz Jr in arrears; however van Asseldonk got the better of Tincknell. Serralles also starts 7th after pipping Fantin, while Svendsen-Cook (9th), Derani (10th), McBride (11th) and Uhrhane (12th) complete the International Class field.
Goddard also claimed pole in the National Class for race one – the Australian possesses a two-tenths advantage over Calbimonte with Padayachee another two-tenths adrift.
2012 British F3 round of Silverstone (Rd 9, Qualifying Race 1) Pos Driver Team Time/Gap 1. Alex Lynn Fortec-Mercedes 1:53.802 2. Jazeman Jaafar Carlin-Volkswagen 1:53.993 3. Jack Harvey Carlin-Volkswagen 1:54.024 4. Carlos Sainz Jr Carlin-Volkswagen 1:54.040 5. Hannes van Asseldonk Fortec-Mercedes 1:54.194 6. Harry Tincknell Carlin-Volkswagen 1:54.330 7. Felix Serralles Fortec-Mercedes 1:54.602 8. Pietro Fantin Carlin-Volkswagen 1:54.690 9. Rupert Svendsen-Cook Double R-Mercedes 1:54.747 10. Pipo Derani Fortec-Mercedes 1:54.854 11. Nick McBride T-Sport-ThreeBond Nissan 1:54.956 12. Geoff Uhrhane Double R-Mercedes 1:55.096 13. Spike Goddard T-Sport-Mugen Honda 1:56.604 14. Pedro Pablo Calbimonte T-Sport-Mugen Honda 1:56.894 15. Duvashen Padayachee Double R-Mugen Honda 1:57.039 2012 British F3 round of Silverstone (Rd 9, Qualifying Race 3) Pos Driver Team Time/Gap 1. Alex Lynn Fortec-Mercedes 1:53.680 2. Jazeman Jaafar Carlin-Volkswagen 1:53.987 3. Jack Harvey Carlin-Volkswagen 1:54.008 4. Carlos Sainz Jr Carlin-Volkswagen 1:54.025 5. Hannes van Asseldonk Fortec-Mercedes 1:54.121 6. Harry Tincknell Carlin-Volkswagen 1:54.162 7. Felix Serralles Fortec-Mercedes 1:54.516 8. Pietro Fantin Carlin-Volkswagen 1:54.573 9. Rupert Svendsen-Cook Double R-Mercedes 1:54.685 10. Pipo Derani Fortec-Mercedes 1:54.731 11. Nick McBride T-Sport-ThreeBond Nissan 1:54.937 12. Geoff Uhrhane Double R-Mercedes 1:55.023 13. Spike Goddard T-Sport-Mugen Honda 1:56.420 14. Pedro Pablo Calbimonte T-Sport-Mugen Honda 1:56.794 15. Duvashen Padayachee Double R-Mugen Honda 1:56.962
