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F2 - Russell beats Sette Camara to Monza pole

31.08.18

F2 - 2018 Race of Italy - Qualiyfing 

British driver claims fourth pole of 2018

George Russell led the way in Qualifying for the FIA Formula 2 Championship round at Monza, Italy, beating Carlin’s Sergio Sette Camara to the fastest time on the second set of runs after the Brazilian headed the timing boards before the mid-session tyre change. The ART Grand Prix driver set a 1:31.546 to clinch his fourth pole of 2018, while DAMS’ Alexander Albon was third quickest.

After this morning’s downpour, qualifying thankfully got underway on a dry circuit as the last round’s Feature Race winner Nyck de Vries led the field out onto the track – beating PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing teammate Sean Gelael to the honour of setting the first timed lap. De Vries opened fire with a lap in the 1m33s, before Lando Norris undercut the Dutch driver to post his first quick time.

Norris’ teammate Sette Camara then eclipsed the British driver with a time 0.8s quicker, while Russell and Albon occupied the gap between the Carlins to complete the top three after the first set of runs. Although the majority attempted second runs on their first set of tyres, a blend of traffic and wear restricted any further improvements to a minimum.

With ten minutes of the session remaining, the field had pitted for fresh supersoft Pirellis and returned to the circuit to complete their next set of flying runs. Artem Markelov, Norris and Albon all traded personal best times with each other at the sharp end of the timing board, before Russell cruised in and collected his best time of the session with a 1:31.546. Sette Camara sought to return to the top, but his best effort was just 0.054 adrift of the championship leader’s benchmark.

Sensing that the best of the tyres was behind them, the front runners retreated to the pits in the final stages, handing Russell pole as Sette Camara secured a front-row start for tomorrow’s Feature Race. Albon beat Markelov to fourth, while Nicholas Latifi ensured both DAMS drivers were in the top five. Antonio Fuoco was sixth fastest but will serve a three-place grid drop on Saturday, while Norris beat Arjun Maini to seventh. Luca Ghiotto and Louis Deletraz completed the top half of the field.

2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship Round 10 – Monza, Italy – Provisional Qualifying Results

 DRIVERTEAMLAPTIMELAPS

1

George RussellART Grand Prix1:31.546

10

2

Sergio Sette CamaraCarlin1:31.600

10

3

Alexander AlbonDAMS1:31.889

10

4

Artem MarkelovRUSSIAN TIME1:31.922

11

5

Nicholas LatifiDAMS1:32.021

10

6

Antonio FuocoCharouz Racing System1:32.159

8

7

Lando NorrisCarlin1:32.191

10

8

Arjun MainiTrident1:32.248

10

9

Luca GhiottoCampos Vexatec Racing1:32.346

10

10

Louis DelétrazCharouz Racing System1:32.407

10

11

Nyck De VriesPERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing1:32.566

11

12

Jack AitkenART Grand Prix1:32.681

10

13

Nirei FukuzumiBWT Arden1:32.735

11

14

Tadasuke MakinoRUSSIAN TIME1:32.750

11

15

Roy NissanyCampos Vexatec Racing1:32.801

10

16

Alessio LorandiTrident1:32.803

11

17

Sean GelaelPERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing1:32.913

11

18

Ralph BoschungMP Motorsport1:32.965

11

19

Maximilian GüntherBWT Arden1:32.496

10

20

Dorian BoccolacciMP Motorsport1:48.586

4