QUALIFYING: Verschoor claims maiden Formula 2 Pole Position in Monte Carlo

Richard Verschoor scored his first ever Formula 2 Pole Position in a thrilling Monte Carlo Qualifying. The Trident driver’s lap of 1:21.238 in Group A secured him top spot for Sunday’s Feature Race.

Victor Martins’ lap of 1:21.310 saw him lead the way in Group B, but he missed out on pole by less than a tenth. However, the ART Grand Prix driver is set to start on the front row for the first time this season.

GROUP A

The 11 even-numbered drivers headed out on to the track with 16 minutes on the clock looking to set their fastest times.

After crossing the line to complete their first flying laps, it was ART driver Zak O’Sullivan who was the one to beat, with a 1:23.118 putting him P1. His time was over half a second quicker than his nearest rival in Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar.

The Briton continued to set the pace on his next effort, completing a lap of 1:22.202. On this occasion, the gap to second placed Verschoor was just 0.113s.

As the first segment entered into the closing stages, green and purple colours lit up the timing screens as Verschoor went quickest with a 1:21.283 for Trident, a tenth ahead of Hadjar.

Gabriel Bortoleto was third for Invicta Racing, but he came on the radio to inform his Invicta Racing team that he had hit the wall in the swimming pool section. Luckily, he was able to continue on for the rest of the session.

The drivers then set off on their final attempts, but despite their best efforts, no one could beat Verschoor’s time. Hadjar remained in second while Franco Colapinto went up to third for MP Motorsport.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli was one of the few drivers to improve on their final attempt and the PREMA Racing driver wound up in fourth ahead of Bortoleto in P5.

GROUP B

After a short break, the second set of 11 drivers headed out on to the track with Verschoor’s 1:21.283 their target time for Pole.

As the drivers started their first flying laps, the Red Flags were waved early after Rafael Villagómez lost the rear of his Van Amersfoort Racing car on the entry to Turn 1, sending him straight into the barrier.

With the track clear, drivers left the pitlane with nine minutes left in the segment. They wasted no time going for their push laps and it was Rodin Motorsport’s Zane Maloney who went to the top of the leaderboard with a 1:21.941, beating Martins’ time by over seven-tenths.

But Martins momentarily went back to the top of the leaderboard only for Roman Stanek’s 1:21.466 to put him ahead of the Frenchman.

One final attempt was all there was time for, but Stanek’s hopes were dashed when he collided with the barrier in the second sector. Martins crossed the line to go fastest with a 1:21.310.

Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Paul Aron was the last driver left to complete a lap and after going fastest in the first sector, he completed a 1:21.347 to go second in Group B.

This left Verschoor on Pole Position ahead of Martins who joins the Dutch driver on the Feature Race front row. Hadjar wound up third ahead of Aron in fourth, while Colapinto ended up fifth ahead of Stanek in P6.

Antonelli qualified seventh ahead of Hauger in P8, Bortoleto finished up P9, while Taylor Barnard rounded out the top 10, thereby giving the AIX Racing driver reverse grid pole for Saturday’s Sprint Race.

The Sprint is set to get underway at 14:15 local time in Monte Carlo.