Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Adam Al Azhari claimed a double British Formula 4 pole position at Brands Hatch, topping qualifying for the first time in the series.
The Hitech driver was quickest around the Kent circuit to secure pole for the third race of the weekend, and his second-best lap time put him on the front of the grid for race one too.
With 30 drivers competing this weekend, the field was split into two to manage space around the short Brands Hatch Indy circuit. Pole position would go to the fastest driver from either group, with the top driver from the slower of the two groups taking second place.
Al Azhari was out in the first of the two qualifying groups along with Donington race winner Joseph Smith. It was Timo Jungling who set the pace early in the session, but he wouldn’t stay there long as laptimes tumbled. Lewis Wherrell held on to provisional pole for longest before Al Azhari jumped up the order in the final minutes.
A time of 45.167s was enough to put Al Azhari 0.119s clear of Wherrell, while his second-fastest lap time provisionally secured pole for the first race of the weekend.
In the second qualifying group, Ethan Jeff-Hall and Haarni Sadiq traded fastest laps, but neither could beat Al Azhari’s time.
Sadiq was closest with a time of 45.601s when the red flag was thrown midway through the session. Red Bull junior Chiara Battig ran into trouble on her own and suffered rear wing damage, coming to a stop on track and halting running.
When running resumed, Jeff-Hall jumped back to the top of the order. He was soon dislodged by Theo Palmer, but Jeff-Hall improved again.
In the final minutes of the session, Ethan Lennon improved to go fastest with a time of 45.381s, but it wasn’t enough to take pole position.
Lennon starts alongside Al Azhari for the third race of the weekend, ahead of Wherrell and Jeff-Hall.
Tommy Harfield took fifth overall ahead of Palmer and Jungling.
Championship leader Dries van Langendonck was only fourth fastest in the second qualifying group, putting him eighth on the overall grid. Smith and Jaber Alsabah complete the top 10.
Qualifying round-up
Race 1 grid
1 Adam Al Azhari Hitech 45.303s
2 Ethan Jeff-Hall Argenti Motorsport +0.104
3 Lewis Wherrell JHR Developments +0.008s
4 Theo Palmer Hitech +0.132s
5 Tommy Harfield Chris Dittmann Racing +0.044s
6 Ethan Lennon Rodin Motorsport +0.142s
7 Timo Jungling JHR Developments +0.098s
8 Dries Van Langendonck Rodin Motorsport +0.223s
9 Joseph Smith Virtuosi Racing +0.108s
10 Jarrett Clark Virtuosi Racing +0.299s
Race 3 grid
1 Al Azhari 45.167s
2 Lennon +0.214s
3 Wherrell +0.119s
4 Jeff-Hall +0.217s
5 Harfield +0.149s
6 Palmer +0.257s
7 Jungling +0.207s
8 Van Langendonck +0.293s
9 Smith +0.231s
10 Jaber Alsabah Xcel Motorsport +0.379s