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Sainz leads MW Arden 1-2 in Spa qualifying

by Valentin Khorounzhiy

Photo: Sam Bloxham/GP3 Media Service

Spanish driver Carlos Sainz has taken his first pole position in the GP3 series at Spa-Francorchamps, beating the time set by fellow Red Bull junior Daniil Kvyat in the early stages of the session.

Indeed, it was the Russian who went into he mid-session round of stops as the leader, pulling out a lap that was half-a-second quicker than the opposition’s efforts. While Sainz was effectively nowhere in the first part of the 30-minute shootout, he ended up quickest when it mattered, extracting the most from his car in favorable track conditions to secure pole position.

A slight improvement on his original benchmark time allowed Kvyat to take second, locking out an all-Arden front row. Another early session leader Jack Harvey was the top championship contender in third, set to share the second row with his teammate Conor Daly.

Points leader Tio Ellinas qualified in fifth place, ahead of Alex Fontana and Nick Yelloly. Koiranen’s Kevin Korjus was a realistic threat to Sainz in the closing stages of the race, but a very promising lap of his was undone when he got bogged down in traffic in the form of his teammate Aaro Vainio. As such, the Estonian had to settle for P8, with Facu Regalia and David Fumanelli rounding out the top ten.

Session results
Pos. Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1 Carlos Sainz, Jr. MW Arden 2:04.125 11
2 Daniil Kvyat MW Arden 2:04.518 +0.393 11
3 Jack Harvey ART Grand Prix 2:04.518 +0.393 12
4 Conor Daly ART Grand Prix 2:04.524 +0.399 12
5 Tio Ellinas Marussia Manor Racing 2:04.856 +0.731 11
6 Alex Fontana Jenzer Motorsport 2:04.970 +0.845 10
7 Nick Yelloly Carlin 2:04.972 +0.847 11
8 Kevin Korjus Koiranen GP 2:05.027 +0.902 12
9 Facu Regalia ART Grand Prix 2:05.066 +0.941 12
10 David Fumanelli Trident 2:05.255 +1.130 11
11 Giovanni Venturini Trident 2:05.308 +1.183 12
12 Alexander Sims Carlin 2:05.334 +1.209 12
13 Robert Visoiu MW Arden 2:05.382 +1.257 11
14 Melville Mckee Bamboo Engineering 2:05.486 +1.361 12
15 Lewis Williamson Bamboo Engineering 2:05.509 +1.384 12
16 Dino Zamparelli Marussia Manor Racing 2:05.541 +1.416 11
17 Patric Niederhauser Jenzer Motorsport 2:05.576 +1.451 10
18 Aaro Vainio Koiranen GP 2:05.760 +1.635 11
19 Adderly Fong Status Grand Prix 2:06.127 +2.002 9
20 Patrick Kujala Koiranen GP 2:06.432 +2.307 11
21 Samin Gomez Jenzer Motorsport 2:06.537 +2.412 11
22 Josh Webster Status Grand Prix 2:06.645 +2.520 11
23 Jimmy Eriksson Status Grand Prix 2:06.871 +2.746 11
24 Luis Sa Silva Carlin 2:07.291 +3.166 11
25 Emanuele Zonzini Trident 2:07.582 +3.457 11
26 Ryan Cullen Marussia Manor Racing 2:08.434 +4.309 12
27 Carmen Jorda Bamboo Engineering 2:09.095 +4.970 13