Photo: FIA F3 European Championship
Max Verstappen bounced back from a difficult opening race at Imola to top the second qualifying session at the Italian circuit.
The future Toro Rosso F1 driver finished up three tenths of a second clear at the top of the times when the session was ended early following a heavy crash for Ed Jones. The Emirati, who suffered a back injury at Pau earlier in the year, required extracting from the car and fading light meant the session was not restarted with seven minutes left on the clock.
The last of his three ten-place grid penalties for a Nurburgring engine change means Verstappen will have to start back in 11th for the first race, but he will begin the weekend finale from the front courtesy of second-fastest times.
Tom Blomqvist inherits pole for race two ahead of Esteban Ocon?and Antonio Giovinazzi.
Fifth fastest was Antonio Fuoco ahead of an impressive Will Buller on Signature’s F3 return weekend. He will share the third row of the grid with Nicholas Latifi, with Jake Dennis and Roy Nissany following that. Lucas Auer was tenth fastest, while T-Sport Nick Cassidy will move up onto the fifth row alongside the Austrian courtesy of Verstappen’s penalty.
Championship leader?Ocon will join Verstappen on the front row of the grid for race three ahead of Fuoco, Blomqvist, Buller and Latifi. Behind that will be?Felix Serralles, Jake Dennis, Jordan King and Antonio Giovinazzi.
Qualifying results
| Race 2 grid ? fastest times | Race 3 grid ? second fastest times | |||||||
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Pos | Driver | Team | Time | |
| 1 | Tom Blomqvist | Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | 1:37.125 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Van Amersfoort Racing | 1:37.106 | |
| 2 | Esteban Ocon | Prema Powerteam | 1:37.155 | 2 | Esteban Ocon | Prema Powerteam | 1:37.303 | |
| 3 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | 1:37.196 | 3 | Antonio Fuoco | Prema Powerteam | 1:37.326 | |
| 4 | Antonio Fuoco | Prema Powerteam | 1:37.221 | 4 | Tom Blomqvist | Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | 1:37.456 | |
| 5 | Will Buller | Signature | 1:37.312 | 5 | Will Buller | Signature | 1:37.497 | |
| 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Prema Powerteam | 1:37.318 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Prema Powerteam | 1:37.540 | |
| 7 | Jake Dennis | Carlin | 1:37.388 | 7 | Felix Serralles | Team West-Tec | 1:37.710 | |
| 8 | Roy Nissany | Mucke Motorsport | 1:37.625 | 8 | Jake Dennis | Carlin | 1:37.745 | |
| 9 | Lucas Auer | Mucke Motorsport | 1:37.666 | 9 | Jordan King | Carlin | 1:37.808 | |
| 10 | Nick Cassidy | ThreeBond with T-Sport | 1:37.668 | 10 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | 1:37.819 | |
| 11 | Max Verstappen | Van Amersfoort Racing | 1:36.816* | 11 | Ed Jones | Carlin | 1:37.922 | |
| 12 | Felix Serralles | Team West-Tec | 1:37.681 | 12 | Lucas Auer | Mucke Motorsport | 1:37.933 | |
| 13 | Jordan King | Carlin | 1:37.781 | 13 | Sean Gelael | Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | 1:37.952 | |
| 14 | Ed Jones | Carlin | 1:37.886 | 14 | Roy Nissany | Mucke Motorsport | 1:38.073 | |
| 15 | Sean Gelael | Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | 1:37.939 | 15 | Nick Cassidy | ThreeBond with T-Sport | 1:38.153 | |
| 16 | Felix Rosenqvist | Mucke Motorsport | 1:37.971 | 16 | Felix Rosenqvist | Mucke Motorsport | 1:38.259 | |
| 17 | Spike Goddard | ThreeBond with T-Sport | 1:38.181 | 17 | Gustavo Menezes | Van Amersfoort Racing | 1:38.288 | |
| 18 | Dennis van de Laar | Prema Powerteam | 1:38.188 | 18 | Tatiana Calderon | Jo Zeller Racing | 1:38.450 | |
| 19 | Gustavo Menezes | Van Amersfoort Racing | 1:38.235 | 19 | Alexander Toril | ThreeBond with T-Sport | 1:38.737 | |
| 20 | Tatiana Calderon | Jo Zeller Racing | 1:38.293 | 20 | Michele Beretta | EuroInternational | 1:38.740 | |
| 21 | Alexander Toril | ThreeBond with T-Sport | 1:38.300 | 21 | Dennis van de Laar | Prema Powerteam | 1:38.745 | |
| 22 | Jules Szymkowiak | Van Amersfoort Racing | 1:38.327 | 22 | Jules Szymkowiak | Van Amersfoort Racing | 1:38.752 | |
| 23 | Michele Beretta | EuroInternational | 1:38.430 | 23 | Sergio Sette Camara | EuroInternational | 1:38.768 | |
| 24 | Sergio Sette Camara | EuroInternational | 1:38.571 | 24 | Spike Goddard | ThreeBond with T-Sport | 1:38.838 | |
| 25 | Santino Ferrucci | Fortec Motorsports | 1:38.819 | 25 | Santino Ferrucci | Fortec Motorsports | 1:38.996 | |
| 26 | Martin Cao | Fortec Motorsports | 1:39.235 | 26 | Andy Chang | Team West-Tec | 1:39.597 | |
| 27 | Andy Chang | Team West-Tec | 1:39.493 | 27 | Martin Cao | Fortec Motorsports | 1:39.719 | |
*Ten-place grid penalty