Hungary GP3: Aaro Vainio snatches pole for race one
A stunning late effort by Aaro Vainio earned the Koiranen driver pole position for Saturday's opening GP3 race in Hungary
The session had been dominated by the ART cars of Conor Daly, Jack Harvey and Facu Regalia when the Finn - a former ART man - produced his lap of 1m32.811s.
Daly responded but fell 0.18 seconds short. In a frantic end to the session MW Arden's Daniil Kvyat set the third best time, while the pace of the Koiranen cars was demonstrated by Kevin Korjus being fourth fastest.
Harvey dropped to fifth, just ahead of fellow Brit Lewis Williamson in the Bamboo entry.
Melville McKee produced a strong showing to line up seventh for Bamboo, while Carlos Sainz Jr dropped from third to eighth during the action-packed closing stages.
Title rivals Regalia and points leader Tio Ellinas will share the fifth row, with the ART car lining up ahead of the Cypriot's Marussia Manor entry.
Such was the strength of the field, the top 18 cars were covered by a second, boding well for an exciting race.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Aaro Vainio Koiranen 1m32.811s 2. Conor Daly ART 1m32.987s +0.176s 3. Daniil Kvyat MW Arden 1m33.070s +0.259s 4. Kevin Korjus Koiranen 1m33.104s +0.293s 5. Jack Harvey ART 1m33.109s +0.298s 6. Lewis Williamson Bamboo 1m33.200s +0.389s 7. Melville McKee Bamboo 1m33.337s +0.526s 8. Carlos Sainz Jr MW Arden 1m33.345s +0.534s 9. Facu Regalia ART 1m33.354s +0.543s 10. Tio Ellinas Manor 1m33.384s +0.573s 11. Robert Visoiu MW Arden 1m33.439s +0.628s 12. Giovanni Venturini Trident 1m33.582s +0.771s 13. Patric Niederhauser Jenzer 1m33.599s +0.788s 14. Alex Fontana Jenzer 1m33.614s +0.803s 15. Nick Yelloly Carlin 1m33.658s +0.847s 16. Dino Zamparelli Manor 1m33.715s +0.904s 17. Patrick Kujala Koiranen 1m33.778s +0.967s 18. Eric Lichtenstein Carlin 1m33.800s +0.989s 19. David Fumanelli Trident 1m33.893s +1.082s 20. Jimmy Eriksson Status 1m34.089s +1.278s 21. Josh Webster Status 1m34.237s +1.426s 22. Adderly Fong Status 1m34.241s +1.430s 23. Luis Sa Silva Carlin 1m34.952s +2.141s 24. Emanuele Zonzini Trident 1m35.006s +2.195s 25. Samin Gomez Jenzer 1m35.491s +2.680s 26. Ryan Cullen Manor 1m36.046s +3.235s 27. Carmen Jorda Bamboo 1m37.246s +4.435s
Previous article
British Formula 3 plans return to UK roots in 2014 revamp
Next article
Spa British F3: Giovinazzi fends off Mardenborough for wet win
About this article
| Series | FIA F3 |
| Author | Andrew van de Burgt |
Why Correa's return is the feelgood story racing needed
Juan Manuel Correa has had a long road to recovery from that horrific day at Spa in 2019. ART's decision to give him his race return in FIA Formula 3 in 2021 is a victory in itself, but his determination will surely - in time - have him fighting for bigger things
Why Piastri's F3 title was better than results suggested
F3 rookie Oscar Piastri only just snatched the 2020 title with Prema Racing, but the setbacks he overcame to do so suggest that Renault's next Australian talent is one destined for the top
The ground-effect wonder behind a generation of F1 stars
Recently named as Autosport's greatest single-seater, Ralt's RT3 launched a plethora of superstar drivers through the early 1980s, and established the constructor as the go-to place for your single-seater weapon
The Macau GP's greatest moments
Coronavirus restrictions mean this weekend's Macau GP will have a very different feel, with the usual F3 jamboree replaced by Chinese F4. But in past years, the event has provided some seminal moments in the careers of future world champions
Rating the prospects of the 2020 F3 title contenders
With the title race finely poised ahead of the final triple-header, a category returnee who raced George Russell in his F3 days lends Autosport his thoughts on the ones to watch
Why "whirlwind" Tauranac's legacy will stand the test of time
The passing of Ralt boss Ron Tauranac last week drew tributes from around the world, not least from the bosses of three prominent teams on whom the Australian designer made a lasting impression
The young driver Red Bull couldn't ignore
Igor Fraga has a more colourful career behind him than any other driver on the FIA Formula 3 grid, and now he's beginning to become as recognised for his talents in real racing as in the virtual world
The new F3 car that has teams purring
Dallara has improved upon its old F3 car with the new 320 for this season's Euroformula Open, ensuring that single-seater competition's 'heritage’ category can race into the future
