Felix
Rosenqvist (Kashbet.com by Mücke Motorsport, 2:11s506) will be
starting from pole position for tomorrow’s ten lap qualifying race
for the 61st running of the Macau Grand Prix. In second qualifying,
in which 17 of the first 20 drivers managed to set faster lap times
than in yesterday’s first qualifying session, Rosenqvist moved up
from his ninth place after yesterday’s session to the top of the
time sheets and thus claimed pole position for the Macau qualifying
race. “Early in the session, I did two laps, then came in to have
four new tyres on the car, and I did my fast lap all on my own,”
Rosenqvist reported. “In fact, I was quite surprised that the gap
was so big. Indeed, the Swede was no less than 0s236 faster than
Esteban Ocon (SJM Theodore Racing by Prema, 2:11s742), the reigning
FIA Fórmula 3 European Champion. Just with Max Verstappen (Van
Amersfoort Racing, 2:11s747), who was classified third after
qualifying, Ocon will be dropped two places on the grid for
tomorrow’s qualifying race for having failed to come in to have his
car weighed in free practice yesterday.
As a
result, Ocon and Verstappen will be starting from fourth and fifth
place respectively. That promoted Lucas Auer (Mücke Motorsport,
2:11s838) to second on the grid alongside Rosenqvist to lock out the
front row for the Mücke Motorsport team. Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam
with Carlin, 2:11s922), who was fastest in yesterday’s first
qualifying and failed to post a faster time today, will be starting
from third place.
Competing
in the prestigious event in Macau for the fifth time, Rosenqvist
clearly was the fastest driver at the 6.12 kilometres long Guia
circuit on Friday. In the morning, he was first in free practice with
2:11s743, making him the only driver to post a sub-2:12 lap time. In
second qualifying, the Swede doubled up by claiming pole position.
The only blot on his copybook was a crash at Maternity in free
practice in the lap after the one in which he set his fastest time.
“That was quite stupid, also because I lost two tyres there, which
is not very good for the weekend,” Rosenqvist admitted. “But
being on pole position makes me quite confident for tomorrow and
Sunday. We know that the speed is there”.
Second-fastest
qualifyer Esteban Ocon commented: “Today, things were going much
better than yesterday. We finally found the speed. Of course, it is a
pity that I will be dropped two places, but I am still starting from
the second row and we all know that you can overtake in Macau”.
Ocon, who made an impressive Fórmula 3 debut with a top ten finish
at Macau last year, is well aware of the significance of the event.
“This is the one everybody wants to win, and the race so many great
drivers have won in the past. It is the best race in the world”.
Third in
qualifying and fifth on the grid, Max Verstappen is the best-placed
Macau rookie. “The circuit is really cool,” the Dutchman
commented. “Yesterday, I had some problems as the tyres started
overheating, but today, I was a able to run faster and faster and I
am quite pleased with the result”. Austrian Lucas Auer wasn’t too
happy with his fourth fastest time: “I could have gone faster, but
starting from the front row obviously is a good position and the
performance of Felix and myself shows how strong we are as a team.
Now, hopefully, we can convert that into good race results tomorrow
and Sunday”. The qualifying race starts tomorrow at 13:45 hrs local
time (6:45 hrs CET) and will determine the starting grid positions
for the Sunday’s main race, the Suncity Group Fórmula 3 Macau
Grand Prix.
Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series
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