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Ayumu Iwasa secures Formula 2’s first-ever pole position

Published

2 months ago

April 1, 2023

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Ayumu Iwasa secures Formula 2’s first-ever pole position

Red Bull junior goes six-tenths clear in treacherous conditions

Ayumu Iwasa has made history by securing Formula 2’s first-ever pole position in Australia. The Red Bull junior managed to go six-tenths clear in the pouring rain and secured his victory with his final attempt around the drenched Albert Park Circuit. The session saw two Red Flag stoppages as the conditions became treacherous.

ART Grand Prix takes third consecutive front-row start

ART Grand Prix ensured their third consecutive front-row start with Sauber Academy’s Theo Pourchaire who snatched second. Additionally, Alpine junior Victor Martins clinched third despite crashing out on his final attempt and triggering the second Red Flag. Seven rookies placed themselves inside the top 10.

Session halted five minutes in

The session was briefly held up five minutes in due to heavy rain. The rain started to ease slightly, resulting in resumption of the race. Eight drivers traded turns in P1, these included home hero Jack Doohan, Isack Hadjar, Frederick Vesti, Roman Stanek, and Dennis Hauger who all clocked the fastest times for that period.

Final attempts

Before their final runs, the drivers bolted on a new set of wet tyres. Martins went fastest with a 1m 45.736s before his teammate demoted him by just 0.004s. Iwasa, who led in the initial stages, managed to take the lead again with a 1m 45.118s when Martins slid into the wall on the exit of Turn 5. The session came to an end with over two minutes left on the clock.

Top 10 finishes

Alongside Ayumu Iwasa, Red Bull juniors Hadjar and Zane Maloney secured fifth and sixth place, while Ferrari junior Arthur Leclerc, Kush Maini and Jak Crawford finished in eighth, ninth, and tenth place respectively. Dennis Hauger will line up on the reverse grid pole for Saturday’s Sprint Race, which will begin at 14:20 local time.