Munoz heads first Pau qualifying
Signature's Carlos Munoz topped the timing screens in the first of today's two qualifying sessions for Sunday's Pau Grand Prix
Munoz is one of the few entrants with experience of the track, having scored a pair of podiums in the Formula Renault 2.0 WEC's visit to the circuit in 2009.
In a reverse of yesterday's free practice results, the Colombian had the edge on team-mate Marco Wittmann. Munoz moved to the top with just under a third of the half-hour session remaining, before progressively working down to a time of 1m11.052s
The session was extremely closely contested, with the first three drivers covered by just 0.099 seconds. Championship leader Roberto Merhi [Prema] ended the morning as the first of the Mercedes-powered runners in third.
"Since the first of this season's FIA International Trophy races, the team has a better understanding of this new compound of Yokohama," said Wittmann, explaining Signature's return to form. "I am also not sure what improvements Mercedes made over the winter, but things seem much better here.
"Even though the team has a good record at this circuit, it's only my first time here, whereas my team-mate Carlos Munoz has raced here in Formula Renault a few years ago, but I feel happy with the car."
Daniel Abt made it three Signature cars in the top four, ahead of Merhi's Prema Powerteam team-mate Daniel Juncadella. Double R's Pipo Derani was the leading British series regular in sixth.
Experienced Belgian Laurens Vanthoor was seventh, recovering from a Friday disrupted by engine problems. Oil from the incident caught out an unfortunate Marko Asmer yesterday, but the former British Formula 3 champion had a less eventful run to eighth this morning.
"[In free practice] I was on my in-lap, doing 30-40km/h less than usual when I hit the oil from a Signature car," said Asmer. "There were no warning flags that I could see."
German Formula 3 champion Tom Dillmann led the session at the mid-way point before encountering trouble at Turn 4. The Frenchman's Motopark car was craned off track.
Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap 1. Carlos Munoz Signature Dallara-VW 1m11.052s 2. Marco Wittmann Signature Dallara-VW 1m11.097s + 0.045s 3. Roberto Merhi Prema Dallara-Merc 1m11.151s + 0.099s 4. Daniel Abt Signature Dallara-VW 1m11.287s + 0.235s 5. Laurens Vanthoor Signature Dallara-VW 1m11.297s + 0.245s 6. Daniel Juncadella Prema Dallara-Merc 1m11.438s + 0.386s 7. Pipo Derani Double R Dallara-Merc 1m11.471s + 0.419s 8. Marko Asmer Double R Dallara-Merc 1m11.784s + 0.732s 9. Tom Dillmann Motopark Dallara-VW 1m11.951s + 0.899s 10. Jazeman Jaafar Carlin Dallara-VW 1m12.238s + 1.186s 11. Kimiya Sato Motopark Dallara-VW 1m12.272s + 1.220s 12. Richard Bradley Carlin Dallara-VW 1m12.338s + 1.286s 13. Carlos Huertas Carlin Dallara-VW 1m12.384s + 1.332s
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