Silverstone GP2: Sergey Sirotkin takes maiden pole position

The Rapax driver was just behind GP2 championship leader Stoffel Vandoorne on first-run times, but he then turned the tables on the McLaren protege.

Sirotkin set two laps fast enough for pole, while the ART Grand Prix driver failed to improve on his second set of tyres after a brief off-track moment at the entry to Club Corner on what should have been his quickest lap.

That put him 0.185 seconds faster than Vandoorne, who missed out on pole for the second time this season.

Monaco sprint-race winner Richie Stanaway was well down the timesheets on the first runs, but banged in a quick lap in the closing stages of the session to take third.

Racing Engineering's Alexander Rossi was fourth fastest, 0.470s behind Sirotkin, with Arden driver Arthur Pic fifth fastest.

DAMS driver Pierre Gasly was 0.549s down in sixth place, ahead of the second ART car of Nobuharu Matsushita and Trident's Raffaele Marciello.

With several driver changes this weekend, Oliver Rowland was the best-placed of those for MP Motorsport.

The Formula Renault 3.5 ace was a remarkable third on first-run times, but could not improve on his second set of tyres and ended up slipping to ninth.

Sergio Canamasas, returning after one round away and having now moved to Lazarus, was 14th fastest with Carlin newcomer Johnny Cecotto Jr in 18th.

GP2 returnee Jon Lancaster, a racewinner at Silverstone in April in the European Le Mans Series, was frustrated and ended up last after problems for his Hilmer car prevented him setting a time.

Rio Haryanto, currently third in the championship, had a troubled session during which he suffered a problem with a sensor related to the engine.

Although he did take to the track after missing the first half of the session, he was still affected by it and ended up 15th.

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