A vital yet challenging qualifying session in Monaco saw the 22 Formula Two drivers split into two groups based on car number. Group A was the odd number cars meanwhile Group B was even.
Group A
The 11 drivers in Group A emerged onto the track and it was immediately clear that qualifying was going to be close. The tight nature of the circuit meant that the drivers were wing to wing.
Championship leader and fastest driver yesterday Minì was fast on track but it was disaster for Rafael Câmara who hit the wall and bent the steering. Last year’s pole sitter Alex Dunne stormed to the top meanwhile Noel León had an off-track moment but was able to recover.
Dino Beganovic stormed to the top of the field, setting a time of 1:21.947 before a yellow flag was shown. Sebastian Montoya had locked up and hit the barrier on the way to Mirabeau. Tasanpol Inthraphuvasak also fell victim to the tight Monaco track and hit the wall but was able to return to the pit lane.
There was another yellow flag, this time for John Bennett who crashed at Turn One. Due to the barrier needing a repair, the red flag was flown.
When the session restarted, it was León who was immediately on the pace, setting a 1:21.595 despite hitting the wall. However, the fastest driver in Group A was Câmara with a time of 1:20.923.
Group B
Group B started just a short while later and all but one driver emerged onto the track. Roman Bilinksi chose an alternate strategy in the hopes that he would not be plagued by traffic.
The drama started early with Kush Maini hitting the wall and then hitting Laurens Van Hoepen from behind. Van Hoepen became stuck on the kerb and a red flag was shown once again.
Nicolás Varrone moved up to the front of the field setting a 1:23.431 before Nikola Tsolov took first place by three tenths of a second.
Colton Herta was the first driver to break into the 1:22s before Joshua Dürksen became the first driver to set a time in the 1:21s. Kush Maini then stormed to the front, setting a time of 1:21.405.
At the end of Group B’s session, many drivers were setting their fastest laps. Martinius Stenshorne was one driver who did so was Rodin’s Stenshorne with a 1:21.274.
However, it was Nikola Tsolov who stormed to pole position with a time of 1:21.053. He beat Câmara’s best time in order to claim pole for Sunday’s Feature Race.