Nurburgring Euro F3: Ferrari protege Marciello takes pole hat-trick
Formula 3 European Championship leader Raffaele Marciello produced a perfect start to his Nurburgring weekend by completing a pole hat-trick for the meeting's three races
Marciello became the third driver this season to achieve the feat, after Prema team-mate Alex Lynn secured a triple pole lock-out at Brands Hatch and Carlin's Daniil Kvyat mastered both sessions at Spielberg.
Ferrari Driver Academy pupil Marciello was the only driver to break under the 1m23s mark in first qualifying. The Italian moved to the head of the timing screens after demoting Jordan King a quarter of an hour into the 20-minute session, and later lowered his best lap to 1m22.821s.
Marciello's second fastest time of 1m23.039s earned him pole for race two, as the second-fastest lap times from the session determine grid positions for Saturday afternoon's race.
Carlin racer King slipped back to an eventual fourth place. Fellow Briton Alexander Sims, who joined the championship at the preceding Norisring meeting, joins Marciello on the front row for Saturday's first race.
The T-Sport driver ended the session 0.278s adrift of Marciello and just 0.023s clear of third-placed Felix Rosenqvist - Marciello's closest rival in the drivers' standings.
Fortec's Pipo Derani continued his comparative up-turn in form to line-up fifth, ahead of Marciello's Prema Powerteam team-mate Lucas Auer who is set to start from sixth in both Saturday races.
Derani lines-up an impressive third for race two, behind Rosenqvist but successfully edging out experienced junior single-seater hand Sims (pictured).
The second qualifying session initially appeared closely contested, before Marciello sealed his ninth pole position of the season.
A little over half distance there was a spate of fastest laps as Sims, Kvyat, Rosenqvist and Marciello jostled for position.
A lap of 1m22.584s gave Marciello a narrow 0.150s advantage over Auer as the session entered its closing phase, but with a minute left on the clocks Marciello lowered his benchmark to 1m22.416s, moving pole beyond Auer's grasp.
Rosenqvist will start race three from third, ahead of King and Derani.
Double 2013 winner Lynn, who is third in the drivers' standings, was unable to reproduce his usual competitive form and starts from 11th, 13th and 12th.
Race one grid: Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap 1. Raffaele Marciello Prema Dallara-Merc 1m22.821s 2. Alexander Sims T-Sport Dallara-Nissan 1m23.100s +0.279s 3. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke Dallara-Merc 1m23.123s +0.302s 4. Jordan King Carlin Dallara-VW 1m23.191s +0.370s 5. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Merc 1m23.216s +0.395s 6. Lucas Auer Prema Dallara-Merc 1m23.377s +0.556s 7. Michael Lewis Mucke Dallara-Merc 1m23.462s +0.641s 8. Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Merc 1m23.463s +0.642s 9. Sven Muller Ma-con Dallara-VW 1m23.524s +0.703s 10. Harry Tincknell Carlin Dallara-VW 1m23.542s +0.721s 11. Alex Lynn Prema Dallara-Merc 1m23.542s +0.721s 12. Mitchell Gilbert Mucke Dallara-Merc 1m23.588s +0.767s 13. Daniil Kvyat Carlin Dallara-VW 1m23.637s +0.816s 14. Tom Blomqvist Eurointernational Dallara-Merc 1m23.693s +0.872s 15. Nicholas Latifi Carlin Dallara-VW 1m23.769s +0.948s 16. Jann Mardenborough Carlin Dallara-VW 1m23.870s +1.049s 17. Eddie Cheever Prema Dallara-Merc 1m23.940s +1.119s 18. Dennis van de Laar Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW 1m23.942s +1.121s 19. Roy Nissany Mucke Dallara-Merc 1m23.956s +1.135s 20. Antonio Giovinazzi Double R Dallara-Merc 1m24.062s +1.241s 21. Andre Rudersdorf Ma-con Dallara-VW 1m24.275s +1.454s 22. Sean Gelael Double R Dallara-Merc 1m24.416s +1.595s 23. Tatiana Calderon Double R Dallara-Merc 1m24.485s +1.664s 24. Lucas Wolf URD Dallara-Merc 1m24.601s +1.780s 25. Spike Goddard T-Sport Dallara-Nissan 1m24.831s +2.010s 26. Sandro Zeller Zeller Dallara-Merc 1m24.900s +2.079s Race two grid: Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap 1. Raffaele Marciello Prema Dallara-Merc 1m23.039s 2. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke Dallara-Merc 1m23.207s +0.168s 3. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Merc 1m23.314s +0.275s 4. Alexander Sims T-Sport Dallara-Nissan 1m23.370s +0.331s 5. Jordan King Carlin Dallara-VW 1m23.382s +0.343s 6. Lucas Auer Prema Dallara-Merc 1m23.406s +0.367s 7. Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Merc 1m23.498s +0.459s 8. Harry Tincknell Carlin Dallara-VW 1m23.568s +0.529s 9. Michael Lewis Mucke Dallara-Merc 1m23.641s +0.602s 10. Sven Muller Ma-con Dallara-VW 1m23.645s +0.606s 11. Daniil Kvyat Carlin Dallara-VW 1m23.656s +0.617s 12. Mitchell Gilbert Mucke Dallara-Merc 1m23.698s +0.659s 13. Alex Lynn Prema Dallara-Merc 1m23.750s +0.711s 14. Tom Blomqvist Eurointernational Dallara-Merc 1m23.758s +0.719s 15. Jann Mardenborough Carlin Dallara-VW 1m23.884s +0.845s 16. Eddie Cheever Prema Dallara-Merc 1m23.949s +0.910s 17. Dennis van de Laar Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW 1m23.951s +0.912s 18. Roy Nissany Mucke Dallara-Merc 1m23.984s +0.945s 19. Nicholas Latifi Carlin Dallara-VW 1m24.030s +0.991s 20. Antonio Giovinazzi Double R Dallara-Merc 1m24.209s +1.170s 21. Sean Gelael Double R Dallara-Merc 1m24.497s +1.458s 22. Andre Rudersdorf Ma-con Dallara-VW 1m24.631s +1.592s 23. Tatiana Calderon Double R Dallara-Merc 1m24.702s +1.663s 24. Spike Goddard T-Sport Dallara-Nissan 1m24.844s +1.805s 25. Lucas Wolf URD Dallara-Merc 1m24.906s +1.867s 26. Sandro Zeller Zeller Dallara-Merc 1m25.175s +2.136s Race three grid: Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap 1. Raffaele Marciello Prema Dallara-Merc 1m22.416s 2. Lucas Auer Prema Dallara-Merc 1m22.685s +0.269s 3. Felix Rosenqvist Mucke Dallara-Merc 1m22.687s +0.271s 4. Jordan King Carlin Dallara-VW 1m22.775s +0.359s 5. Pipo Derani Fortec Dallara-Merc 1m22.872s +0.456s 6. Alexander Sims T-Sport Dallara-Nissan 1m22.892s +0.476s 7. Felix Serralles Fortec Dallara-Merc 1m22.964s +0.548s 8. Daniil Kvyat Carlin Dallara-VW 1m22.964s +0.548s 9. Harry Tincknell Carlin Dallara-VW 1m22.985s +0.569s 10. Michael Lewis Mucke Dallara-Merc 1m23.045s +0.629s 11. Mitchell Gilbert Mucke Dallara-Merc 1m23.070s +0.654s 12. Alex Lynn Prema Dallara-Merc 1m23.100s +0.684s 13. Eddie Cheever Prema Dallara-Merc 1m23.109s +0.693s 14. Jann Mardenborough Carlin Dallara-VW 1m23.323s +0.907s 15. Tom Blomqvist Eurointernational Dallara-Merc 1m23.323s +0.907s 16. Sven Muller Ma-con Dallara-VW 1m23.358s +0.942s 17. Dennis van de Laar Van Amersfoort Dallara-VW 1m23.396s +0.980s 18. Antonio Giovinazzi Double R Dallara-Merc 1m23.612s +1.196s 19. Roy Nissany Mucke Dallara-Merc 1m23.628s +1.212s 20. Nicholas Latifi Carlin Dallara-VW 1m23.638s +1.222s 21. Spike Goddard T-Sport Dallara-Nissan 1m23.696s +1.280s 22. Andre Rudersdorf Ma-con Dallara-VW 1m23.757s +1.341s 23. Sandro Zeller Zeller Dallara-Merc 1m23.887s +1.471s 24. Sean Gelael Double R Dallara-Merc 1m24.093s +1.677s 25. Lucas Wolf URD Dallara-Merc 1m24.097s +1.681s 26. Tatiana Calderon Double R Dallara-Merc 1m24.174s +1.758s
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