Freddie Slater takes brilliant maiden pole position in qualifying at Silverstone. The home hero did not make it easy for himself, losing his first run. Championship rival Ugo Ugochukwu could only manage 12th, taking the reverse sprint grid pole.
First Runs See Several Lap Deletions
After getting disqualified following topping this morning’s practice session, it was Slater who looked to have the pace. His first flying lap saw a purple middle sector and a final time of 1:46.281. The lap time strong enough for P1, was soon deleted after bottoming out on the curb in Copse. Teammate, Matteo De Palo, was promoted to provisional pole following the deletions.
He was not the only driver to lose decent lap times after track limits violations. Eight others found themselves tumbling to the bottom of the timing tower after going wide. Championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu lost his time from the top five, a worrying start for the one currently at the top. The seven others to lose their lap time included: Noah Strømsted, Nicola Lacorte, Enzo Deligny, Théophile Naël, Ricardo Escotto, Taito Kato, and Brando Badoer.
The second runs saw drivers such as James Wharton and Hiyu Yamakoshi also lose their lap times, highlighting Silverstone’s challenge.
Ugochukwu Struggles At Silverstone
Ugochukwu’s struggles didn’t end on the first run. The American driver continued to struggle throughout the qualifying session. His second lap saw him wrestling the car. He managed to slot into P10 momentarily but remained four tenths off P1. Things only got worse, however, when he lost yet another lap time. This time the deletion came from going off at Chapel.
The 18-year-old, had it all to do in the final runs, but still could not hit the front of the field. His final lap was 5 tenths off Slater’s pole position time. He ultimately qualified P12 and will hope he finds pace for his sprint pole.
Teammate Naël, suffered similar issues. He too faced multiple lap deletions. The French driver hit the front a field a couple of time with each lap disappearing. With only one lap to put himself into contention, he managed to put his Campos in second.
Slater Mounts Championship Challenge
Maciej Gładysz was also one to watch. He showed impressive pace in qualifying, provisionally going on the front row after the second runs. He ultimately qualified eighth, a strong finish. Aix’s Yevan David also had a qualifying to remember finishing in 11th, which becomes second on the sprint grid.
The two showed great pace, but it was Slater who impressed the most. With championship rival, Ugochukwu, down in twelfth, Slater will hope to capitalise on this opportunity to close the gap. His last lap was a 1:45.620, five tenths up on his provisional pole time. Naël and Louis Sharp round out the top three.