Bortolotti takes pole for F2 opener
Mirko Bortolotti will begin his Formula 2 comeback race from pole position after topping the opening qualifying session of the year at Silverstone
The Italian did not take to the track until a third of the 30-minute session had elapsed, but wasted little time in getting in among the frontrunners.
His initial gambit of 1m51.128s sent him to the top of the timesheets, but he eventually worked his way down to a 1m50.834s lap, becoming the first man to break the 1m51s barrier all weekend.
So confident was he of starting from the front, that Bortolotti did not bother taking part in the final five minutes of the session and instead stopped his car in parc ferme in front of the 'P1' sign - while there were still a number of quick cars on the circuit.
F2 debutant Miki Monras came closest to knocking Bortolotti off the top spot with a lap 0.108s slower than his rival in the final minute of the session.
Will Bratt and Alex Brundle filled the second row, the latter equaling the best grid spot of his F2 career. However, Brundle's attempt to wrest a front-row spot was spoiled by a big slide moment at Becketts late on. Mihai Marinescu and series returnee Tobias Hegewald completed the top six.
Ramon Pineiro qualified seventh, ahead of practice pacesetter Jack Clarke, while Johannes Theobald was a career-best ninth quickest ahead of Formula 3 convert Christopher Zanella.
Only one driver appeared to encounter a serious problem during the session; Natalia Kowalska pulling off the track at the entrance to Maggotts.
Pos Driver Time Gap 1. Mirko Bortolotti 1m50.834s 2. Miki Monras 1m50.942s + 0.108s 3. Will Bratt 1m50.967s + 0.133s 4. Alex Brundle 1m51.015s + 0.181s 5. Mihai Marinescu 1m51.217s + 0.383s 6. Tobias Hegewald 1m51.272s + 0.438s 7. Ramon Pineiro 1m51.316s + 0.482s 8. Jack Clarke 1m51.758s + 0.924s 9. Johannes Theobald 1m51.951s + 1.117s 10. Christopher Zanella 1m51.985s + 1.151s 11. Thiemo Storz 1m52.101s + 1.267s 12. Tom Gladdis 1m52.255s + 1.421s 13. Maxim Snegirev 1m52.319s + 1.485s 14. Benjamin Lariche 1m52.355s + 1.521s 15. Mikkel Mac 1m52.469s + 1.635s 16. Armaan Ebrahim 1m52.689s + 1.855s 17. Kelvin Snoeks 1m52.870s + 2.036s 18. James Cole 1m52.904s + 2.070s 19. Jose Luis Abadin 1m53.192s + 2.358s 20. Parthiva Sureshwaren 1m53.213s + 2.379s 21. Natalia Kowalska 1m53.273s + 2.439s 22. Julian Theobald 1m53.275s + 2.441s 23. Plamen Kralev 1m53.572s + 2.738s 24. Sung-Hak Mun 1m54.128s + 3.294s
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