Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix: F2 Qualifying Results

Formula 2 returned after an extended break for Round 4, as 22 drivers battled it out in Qualifying at Imola.

After nearly two months off save in-season testing in Barcelona the Formula 1 feeder series is back in action, this time around the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Italy. It is the home race for Trident and PREMA Racing teams, the latter of whom employ home favourite Andrea Kimi Antonelli as well.

Antonelli’s teammate Oliver Bearman took part in FP1 for F1 earlier in the day for Haas, replacing usual driver Kevin Magnussen. He also crashed out during the practice session for F2, losing the rear of his car and finding the barriers which brought a premature end to his run plan.

Hitech Pulse Eight’s Paul Aron topped the timing screens at the end of said practice, setting a time of a 1:28.852. The Estonian returned from Berlin after competing in his first ever Formula E race for Envision Racing, along with AIX Racing’s Taylor Barnard.

Zane Maloney, driving for Rodin Motorsport, leads the Drivers’ Championship with 62 points as the only competitor with more than one race win. However the Barbadian’s advantage is only 15 points ahead of Aron, and gaps further down the Standings are even smaller. With up to 39 points on offer over three days, who can place their car on pole position and put their chances this weekend in good stead?

How it happened

The start of Qualifying was slightly delayed, however the field was eventually released at 16:05 local time. First out on track was the #5 car of Maloney, who duly set the first representative time of a 1:28.496 . The two PREMA drivers followed closely behind, as Bearman was the quickest of the pair and claimed the top spot with a 1:28.218.

Meanwhile, Josep Maria Marti went for a spin through Tamburello in his Campos on his flying lap. Bearman’s best time was bested by the AIX Racing of Joshua Duerksen, but the Paraguayan’s time in P1 was short-lived as Isack Hadjar, then Gabriel Bortoleto moved into provisional pole.

Championship leader Maloney went for a second fast lap, and subsequently improved on his previous best to climb up to first place despite a lock up through Rivazza. Numerous drivers followed Maloney in improving their times, best of whom was Bortoleto who set a 1:27.739 to go top by over a quarter of a second.

Williams Academy driver Franco Colapinto found the gravel on his second flying lap, which meant he still didn’t have a time on the board with 18 minutes remaining.

The session progresses

After a brief respite in the pits to make adjustments to setup, 20 drivers headed back out again with 12 minutes to go. Jak Crawford and Victor Martins were the only ones to remain, both with some kind of technical issues.

Miyata, in his Toyota-liveried Rodin car bested his last time and moved up to P9. But as rubber was laid down on the circuit, times continued to tumble. Roman Stanek was briefly in provisional pole, but within seconds he was down to fifth as Duerksen, Antonelli and finally Bearman took turns in first place. Bearman’s time was a 1:27.111.

Hadjar split the two PREMA drivers to go second, while Bortoleto snatched fourth away from Duerksen.

Green sectors aplenty, as Maloney moved back into the top ten with a 1:27.428. Invicta’s Bortoleto, with a purple opening sector, moved from fourth to P1 with a brilliant 1:27.056 with just a couple of minutes remaining. Further back, Richard Verschoor was looking quick in his Trident but ran wide into the gravel in the second sector.

Nobody else was able to improve, handing pole position to Bortoleto, sporting an Ayrton Senna tribute helmet. Fellow Brazilian Enzo Fittipaldi will start the Saturday Sprint race from pole as he ended Qualifying in tenth position.

However, the drama continued after the session as multiple drivers had their times deleted for exceeding track limits. Both PREMA cars fell to the foot of the timing screens, promoting Hadjar to the front row, as well as Duerksen and Maloney to the second row. Colapinto would be the reverse grid polesitter for the Sprint instead of Fittipaldi.

Formula 2 will return for the Sprint race at 13:15 BST (14:15 local time) on Saturday May 18.

Qualifying classification

The top ten qualifiers were as follows:

1. Bortoleto

2. Hadjar

3. Duerksen

4. Maloney

5. Stanek

6. Fittipaldi

7. Hauger

8. Marti

9. Verschoor

10. Colapinto

Feature Image Credit: @Formula2 on X