Guanyu Zhou (Photo: ACI Sport)
Prema Powerteam drivers Ralf Aron and Guanyu Zhou have topped the two respective qualifying sessions of the first Italian F4 round at Vallelunga.
Aron will lead Ferrari junior Zhou on the front row for race one, while the Chinese debutant has pole for the final race of the weekend.
The Estonian recorded the best lap of the round so far on his way to pole position, clearing Zhou by two tenths.
Antonelli’s Joao Vieira, who set the pace in Friday practice, will line up right behind the Prema drivers, with Robert Schwartzman joining him on row two.
Third Prema rookie Giuliano Raucci was just a hundredth off Schwartzman in fifth, ahead of karting graduates Mauricio Baiz and David Beckmann and former Formula Renault 2.0 racer Marcos Siebert. Marino Sato and Diego Bertonelli made up the top ten.
Vieira came close to disrupting the domination of the reigning teams’ champions in session two, but came 0.03s short of Zhou’s early benchmark. Beckmann took third, half a second down on the Chinese driver and just 0.002s ahead of Aron.
Raucci made it three Prema cars in the top five yet again, leading Siebert, Matteo Desideri and Schwartzman.
Sato was ninth again, while Thomas Preining took tenth.
Qualifying results
| Qualifying 1 | Qualifying 2 | ||||||
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Pos. | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | Ralf Aron | Prema Powerteam | 1:34.144 | 1 | Guanyu Zhou | Prema Powerteam | 1:34.158 |
| 2 | Guanyu Zhou | Prema Powerteam | 1:34.370 | 2 | Jo?o Vieira | Antonelli Motorsport | 1:34.190 |
| 3 | Joao Vieira | Antonelli Motorsport | 1:34.398 | 3 | David Beckmann | Mucke Motorsport | 1:34.215 |
| 4 | Robert Schwartzman | Mucke Motorsport | 1:34.687 | 4 | Ralf Aron | Prema Powerteam | 1:34.217 |
| 5 | Giuliano Raucci | Prema Powerteam | 1:34.697 | 5 | Giuliano Raucci | Prema Powerteam | 1:34.375 |
| 6 | Mauricio Baiz | Vincenzo Sospiri Racing | 1:34.758 | 6 | Marcos Siebert | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:34.421 |
| 7 | David Beckmann | Mucke Motorsport | 1:34.772 | 7 | Matteo Desideri | Antonelli Motorsport | 1:34.582 |
| 8 | Marcos Siebert | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:34.814 | 8 | Robert Schwartzman | Mucke Motorsport | 1:34.652 |
| 9 | Marino Sato | Vincenzo Sospiri Racing | 1:34.899 | 9 | Marino Sato | Vincenzo Sospiri Racing | 1:34.663 |
| 10 | Diego Bertonelli | RB Racing | 1:34.919 | 10 | Thomas Preining | Mucke Motorsport | 1:34.702 |
| 11 | Matteo Desideri | Antonelli Motorsport | 1:34.922 | 11 | Mauricio Baiz | Vincenzo Sospiri Racing | 1:34.718 |
| 12 | Alex Peroni | Torino Squadra Corse | 1:35.143 | 12 | Diego Bertonelli | RB Racing | 1:34.917 |
| 13 | Yan Leon Shlom | Malta Formula Racing | 1:35.203 | 13 | Nico Rindlisbacher | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:35.019 |
| 14 | Lucas Mauron | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:35.299 | 14 | Yan Leon Shlom | Malta Formula Racing | 1:35.052 |
| 15 | Thomas Preining | Mucke Motorsport | 1:35.373 | 15 | Alex Peroni | Torino Squadra Corse | 1:35.105 |
| 16 | Nico Rindlisbacher | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:35.387 | 16 | Lucas Mauron | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:35.112 |
| 17 | Bar Baruch | Israel F4 | 1:35.393 | 17 | Raul Guzman | Malta Formula Racing | 1:35.173 |
| 18 | Raul Guzman | Malta Formula Racing | 1:35.394 | 18 | Bar Baruch | Israel F4 | 1:35.250 |
| 19 | Ali Al Khalifa | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:35.459 | 19 | Ali Al Khalifa | Jenzer Motorsport | 1:35.262 |
| 20 | Fernando Madera | Team Costa Rica | 1:35.838 | 20 | Kevin Kanayet | Malta Formula Racing | 1:35.388 |
| 21 | Mattia Ferrari | Antonelli Motorsport | 1:36.200 | 21 | Mattia Ferrari | Antonelli Motorsport | 1:35.811 |
| 22 | Riccardo Ponzio | Teramo Racing Team | 1:36.209 | 22 | Riccardo Ponzio | Teramo Racing Team | 1:35.873 |
| 23 | Kikko Galbiati | Antonelli Motorsport | 1:36.496 | 23 | Kikko Galbiati | Antonelli Motorsport | 1:35.954 |
| 24 | Julia Pankiewicz | RB Racing | 1:37.600 | 24 | Fernando Madera | Team Costa Rica | 1:36.420 |
| 25 | Wiktoria Pankiewicz | RB Racing | 1:38.111 | 25 | Julia Pankiewicz | RB Racing | 1:36.942 |
| 26 | Kevin Kanayet | Malta Formula Racing | No Time | 26 | W.Pankiewicz | RB Racing | 1:37.146 |