Felix Rosenqvist took the first FIA European F3 pole of the season during today’s qualifying session at Silverstone.
Following a bright and warm morning, the clouds descended over the Northamptonshire circuit, with even brief sprinkles of rain making their appearance known before the green flag.
It mattered little to the experienced Swede, who took the top spot by over one-quarter-of-a-second from Jagonya Ayam Carlin racer Antonio Giovinazzi.
Following a pair of morning sessions where Rosenqvist proved quick – but not quickest – the 23-year-old found space amongst the crowded Silverstone circuit to go quickest on the third of his seven laps.
Indeed, a majority of the fastest times came midway through runs, as the Hankook tyres peaked, before giving up premium grip.
Behind Giovinazzi, Jake Dennis (Prema Powerteam) and series debutante George Russell (Carlin) secured the second row, followed by Charles Leclerc (van Amersfoort) and free practice fast man Brandon Maïsano (Prema Powerteam).
If the midfield is as close in the race as it was in qualifying, we may be in for a stellar battle, as the gap from 11th (Maximilian Günther) to 23rd (Mikkel Jensen) was a mere quarter-of-a-second.
With a 35-car grid for tomorrows season opener, those who manage traffic the best could be the big winners.
2015 FIA European F3 (Rd 1, Qualifying 1) Pos Driver Team Time 1. Felix Rosenqvist Prema Powerteam-Merc 1:51.007 2. Antonio Giovinazzi Jagonya Carlin-VW 1:51.274 3. Jake Dennis Prema Powerteam-Merc 1:51.332 4. George Russell Carlin-VW 1:51.652 5. Charles Leclerc van Amersfoort-VW 1:51.685 6. Brandon Maïsano Prema Powerteam-Merc 1:51.768 7. Alexander Albon Signature-VW 1:51.792 8. Lance Stroll Prema Powerteam-Merc 1:52.066 9. Markus Pommer Motopark-VW 1:52.113 10. Callum Ilot Carlin-VW 1:52.113 11. Maximilian Günther Mücke-Merc 1:52.294 12. Ryan Tveter Jagonya Carlin-VW 1:52.309 13. Gustavo Menezes Jagonya Carlin-VW 1:52.324 14. Nicolas Beer EuroInternatonal-Merc 1:52.352 15. Nabil Jeffri Motopark-VW 1:52.374 16. Arjun Maini van Amersfoort-VW 1:52.426 17. Pietro Fittipaldi Fortec-Merc 1:52.443 18. Sérgio Sette Motopark-VW 1:52.446 19. Fabian Schiller West-Tec-Merc 1:52.486 20. Dorian Boccolacci Signature-VW 1:52.490 21. Alessio Lorandi van Amersfoort-VW 1:52.496 22. Raoul Hyman West-Tec-Merc 1:52.543 23. Mikkel Jensen Mücke-Merc 1:52.543 24. Tatiana Calderon Carlin-VW 1:52.798 25. Santino Ferrucci Mücke-Merc 1:52.849 26. Sam MacLeod Motopark-VW 1:52.879 27. Hongwei Cao Fortec-Merc 1:52.901 28. Julio Moreno ThreeBond T-Sport-NBE 1:52.938 29. Matt Solomon Double R-Merc 1:53.039 30. Michele Beretta Mücke-Merc 1:53.073 31. Kang Ling Mücke-Merc 1:53.198 32. Matthew Rao West-Tec-Merc 1:53.251 33. Zhi Cong Li West-Tec-Merc 1:53.305 34. Nicolas Pohler Double R-Merc 1:53.705 35. Mahaveer Raghunathan Motopark-VW 1:53.874
