Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Jak Crawford emerged on top of a chaotic Formula 2 qualifying at Zandvoort, with the Hitech GP driver involved in the drama himself with a pitlane incident.
After topping the first runs, Crawford was about to start his second run when Trident released Clement Novalak into his path in the pitlane. He tried to avoid Novalak but ended up making contact and breaking his front wing, requiring him to head straight back around to the pits to get it changed. Trident was fined €500 for the incident.
Further drama in qualifying meant Crawford remained top of the times, with pole marking the first time he has qualified in the top six in F2.
“Obviously very happy. I mean, this is my best quali of the year by far. We definitely got lucky, but the pace was there. Even if we were to complete the second run, I still think we would have been up there,” said Crawford.
“So, of course, over the moon right now. It hasn’t been the best season. And we’ve put in a lot of effort.”
Crawford reckons he has an affinity with the Zandvoort track, but “didn’t get to show it” in practice as he was 13th fastest.
“I just love to send it and it’s a track that rewards that. Today I was nailing it in sector one, that’s what made the difference. And I was able to use, I think mainly in turn three, the banking really well and I was able to be really precise. And that’s what it takes around this lap, around this track.”
Crawford “was so mad” when the pitlane clash looked to have cost him a shot at pole, and described qualifying as “a very emotional session”.
“Quickest on the first run, which I’ve never really done on the first run before. So already I knew we were in a good position just trying to, in my mind do the same thing as the run before and try to have the same result,” he explained.
“Then I had the incident, and at that point filled with rage and I wasn’t able to complete the warm-up. Luckily, there was a red flag. My tyres were nowhere near ready for the second run. And then, a couple more red flags. I was even improving quite a bit. I was about two tenths up halfway through the lap and I saw a red flag and I thought a lot of people had crossed the line already so I was again, very angry. But in the end, no one was able to improve.”
In addition to qualifying’s three red flag periods due to crashes, there was other drama on Friday.
In practice Jehan Daruvala was reprimanded twice, for doing a practice start and impeding Amaury Cordeel, Victor Martins was reprimanded twice for impeding Enzo Fittipaldi and Jack Doohan, and Doohan was reprimanded for impeding Isack Hadjar. Martins and Doohan then were both reprimanded in qualifying for erratic driving in front of each other.