ART GP and Victor Martins take first pole of Eurocup season

Photo: Gregroy Lenormand / DPPI

ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins claimed the first pole position of the Formula Renault Eurocup season at Monza.

The opening round of qualifying determined the grid for the second race of the weekend, while Saturday’s qualifying will set the grid for the race taking place only a few hours later.

Martins and R-ace GP’s Caio Collet swapped times at the top of the order in the closing stages of the session, but Martins was put ahead when Collet’s fastest lap was deleted as he exceeded track limits.

The 2019 title runner-up then improved on his final lap, setting a 1m47.112s lap to go 0.306s faster than Collet, who couldn’t improve.

It marked a first pole for ART on its return to the series which it last raced in 17 years ago as ASM.

Also making a return is Manor Competition, operating as a British offshoot to MP Motorsport and racing under the Fernando Alonso Racing Team name. Amaury Cordeel was third fastest for the team, ahead of JD Motorsport’s William Alatalo and Arden’s Alex Quinn.

MP’s free practice pacesetter Franco Colapinto topped the order early in the session, but dropped to sixth as others found improvements and he abandoned his final lap.

Petr Ptacek took seventh for R-ace, ahead of ART’s Gregoire Saucy, the sole M2 Competition car of Mikhael Belov and Manor’s Timen van der Helm.

Qualifying results