Bortoleto fastest in red flag-hit F3 qualifying in Melbourne

Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd

Gabriel Bortoleto has taken pole position for Formula 3’s first visit to Australia in a qualifying session impacted by three red flags. 

Bortoleto managed to avoid the drama to qualify with a time of 1m33.025s, 0.171 seconds quicker than Gregoire Saucy in second. 

The first red flag was brought out as drivers started their first flying laps. Pepe Marti found the wall at the exit of Turn 10 in a similar incident to that of Jonny Edgar which stopped running in practice. 

Running resumed with 24 minutes on the clock and drivers were quick to head back out on track.  

Franco Colapinto set the early pace and would stay at the top of the times until after the second red flag, this time brought out by Kaylen Frederick.

The ART Grand Prix driver had been trying to finish his lap when he hit traffic. As he tried to avoid the traffic, he ran wide at the final corner, hitting the wall at speed and bringing out the red flags with less than five minutes on the clock. 

It was a dash to the track once the track turned green again for the final time, with everybody but Bortoleto and the two crashed cars immediately heading back out. Bortoleto hung back, putting him in the perfect position to improve at just the right time. 

Gabriele Mini and Saucy both took turns at the top of the order before Bortoleto put in his flying lap. Before anybody could answer the Trident driver, the red flags were brought out once again for two separate on incidents. Mini had stopped in the gravel after running wide in the opening sector. Meanwhile, Nikita Bedrin had hit the wall heavily at the exit of Turn 14, with his car in several pieces across the track. 

With the chequered flag already out, it meant most of the field would have to abort their final laps. 

Leonardo Fornaroli was one of the few to improve before the red flag. He placed fourth, just behind Mini and ahead of Zak O’Sullivan. 

Paul Aron took sixth ahead of Colapinto and Dino Beganovic. Luke Browning and Caio Collet completed the top 10. 

Sebastian Montoya will start on reversed-grid pole position, with Oliver Goethe alongside him on the front row.  

Qualifying results