Photo: Malcolm Griffiths / GP3 Media Service
MRF Challenge points leader Tio Ellinas has topped the qualifying session for the final round of the season at Madras.
The Cypriot put in a benchmark lap early on and would go unmatched for the remainder of the session, managing a last-minute improvement to put pole position beyond doubt.
Series guest Narain Karthikeyan spent most of the qualifying in second, but was demoted to third in the final minutes by Ellinas’ chief championship rival Rupert Svendsen-Cook.
Sam Dejonghe continued to figure among the series frontrunners by taking fourth, ahead of single-seater returnee Oscar King and F3 Sudamericana regular Gustavo Myasava. Local racer Raj Bharath pipped newly-signed sportscar racer Harry Tincknell to seventh, while Asia-Pacific Rally Champion Gaurav Gill led Ryan Cullen in ninth.
The MRF finale will feature five races. Ellinas provisionally leads Svendsen-Cook by 24 points, with Arthur Pic, who remains between them in the standings, missing the round as he focusses on his upcoming GP2 season.
Session results
| Pos. | Driver | Time | Gap |
| 1 | Tio Ellinas | 1:33.086 | |
| 2 | Rupert Svendsen-Cook | 1:33.452 | 0.366 |
| 3 | Narain Karthikeyan | 1:33.557 | 0.471 |
| 4 | Sam Dejonghe | 1:33.757 | 0.671 |
| 5 | Oscar King | 1:33.863 | 0.777 |
| 6 | Gustavo Myasava | 1:34.106 | 1.020 |
| 7 | Raj Bharath | 1:34.293 | 1.207 |
| 8 | Harry Tincknell | 1:34.411 | 1.325 |
| 9 | Gaurav Gill | 1:35.533 | 2.447 |
| 10 | Ryan Cullen | 1:36.116 | 3.030 |
| 11 | Ben Anderson | 1:36.271 | 3.185 |
| 12 | Max Marshall | 1:36.508 | 3.422 |
| 13 | Sam Brabham | 1:36.530 | 3.444 |
| 14 | Vikash Anand | 1:37.234 | 4.148 |
| 15 | Laura Tillett | 1:37.373 | 4.287 |
| 16 | Dylan Young | 1:37.511 | 4.425 |
| 17 | Abdulla Al-Thawadi | 1:37.666 | 4.580 |