It’s a first pole position for Luke Browning in Formula 2 as he tops a chaotic qualifying session cut short by three red flags. The Hitech driver set a 1:32.390 lap time ahead of Kush Maini in third and Richard Verschoor in second. However, the latter got penalised for bringing out the last red flag, leaving Maini on the front row and Roman Stanek promoted to third.

Triple Chaos in Quali Return

The first qualifying after the summer break at Monza has brought many threats at the highest speeds – and many red flags. The session was cut short three times, with the first red flag brought by Gabriele Minì as his car stopped on the track with mechanical issues and he was shortly followed by Cian Shields as his Aix Racing remained stuck right at the entrance to the pit lane.

Another mechanical failure cut championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli’s qualifying short as he began slowing down and eventually came to halt on the track with gearbox issues, bringing out the second red flag.

Richard Verschoor’s free practice high had a quick turn around when he spun and hit the barriers after the first Lesmo corner, resulting in a third and final red flag to the session. While he finished in second, he was penalised later and will start in 14th place on Sunday.

Disappointment on Home Soil

It was a dissapointing qualifying for Prema Racing at its home race weekend. While Sebastian Montoya found the gravel and failed to set a time, Italian Gabriele Minì suffered the mechanical issue that brought out the first red flag, ending up on P15.

It didn’t go much better for the second home favourite Fornaroli. The Invicta Racing driver was the one to stop the session the second time around. While he was allowed to keep his fastest time, he has to settle for P8 in the feature race. However, with four more race weekends to go, he will look to ensure his lead is not in danger.

Ready for Anything at Monza

The fight is getting tighter and Browning’s pole is making things a lot more interesting between the other title contenders, with Alex Dunne not far behind to bring the championship standings battle to the pole seater. Invicta Racing will look to protect its lead with Stanek in the second row, while Hitech’s pole helps it close the gap to Campos Racing.

Sunday’s feature race will prove whether we’re set for the familiar or for unexpected plot twists for the final laps of the 2025 championship.