Spa Euro F3: Jensen and Dennis claim poles for races two and three
Dane Mikkel Jensen claimed a surprise pole position in second qualifying for this weekend's Spa Formula 3 European Championship round, while Jake Dennis will start on pole for race three
Jensen, the reigning ADAC Formel Masters champion, popped into the top spot just moments before the session was red-flagged for a second time, and with less than a minute remaining it was not restarted.
It was the second stoppage of the session, during which times tumbled throughout as the racing line dried out.
Jensen's achievement means he is the first non-Prema Powerteam driver to top an F3 qualifying session this season, although Felix Rosenqvist was stripped of two of his pole positions at Silverstone for a technical infringement.
Ironically, Prema reckoned that Jensen gained his time because of a slipstream from the Italian squad's Brandon Maisano, who joins the Mucke Motorsport Dallara-Mercedes on the front row for race two.
But Jensen attributed his pole to Mucke's low-rear-wing set-up.
"It was really difficult," he said. "You could watch a little bit the guys in front and see how slippery it was, but it was really bad in the last two corners [Stavelot] before the Blanchimont straight.
"I nearly went off on the first of the right-handers, but the car felt good and I did the time."
Jensen and Maisano leapt to the top just as Prema twins Lance Stroll and Rosenqvist were trying to find a clear space in traffic for a last-lap attack.
Up to this point, rookie Stroll sat on pole after enjoying a strong tow from Rosenqvist, but they ended up third and fourth in the final reckoning.
On the third row for race two will be Scot Sam MacLeod (Motopark) and Fortec Motorsport's Pietro Fittipaldi.
Dennis ended up only seventh in the overall times, but with such inconsistent track conditions the order is considerably jumbled over the two grids: the Briton's second-best time, which forms the grid for race three, was less than a tenth slower than his fastest.
Jensen and Maisano are second and third behind the Racing Steps Foundation-backed Prema driver, with Motopark runner Markus Pommer (11th overall) taking fourth for race three.
Once again MacLeod and Fittipaldi share the third row, with Rosenqvist and Stroll languishing on the fourth.
Santino Ferrucci, Dorian Boccolacci and Sergio Sette Camara round out the top 10 on the grid for race two, with Sette Camara and Callum Ilott forming the fifth row for race three.
It was a miserable session for championship leader Antonio Giovinazzi (12th and 18th) and second-in-points Charles Leclerc (a pair of 13ths).
The first red flag was caused after seven minutes by Alexander Albon crashing at Stavelot, while the second was triggered by a shunt for Ilott.
Meanwhile, a stewards' decision from first qualifying means Camara has earned a five-place grid penalty for forcing Martin Cao off the track - Cao himself earned a reprimand for blocking the Brazilian.
RACE TWO GRID:
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mikkel Jensen | KFZTeile24 Mucke Motorsport | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m13.707s | - |
2 | Brandon Maisano | Prema Powerteam | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m13.786s | 0.079s |
3 | Lance Stroll | Prema Powerteam | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m14.072s | 0.365s |
4 | Felix Rosenqvist | Prema Powerteam | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m14.175s | 0.468s |
5 | Jake Dennis | Prema Powerteam | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m14.579s | 0.872s |
6 | Santino Ferrucci | KFZTeile24 Mucke Motorsport | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m14.584s | 0.877s |
7 | Dorian Boccolacci | Signature | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m14.666s | 0.959s |
8 | Sergio Sette Camara | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m14.756s | 1.049s |
9 | Markus Pommer | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m14.881s | 1.174s |
10 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m15.061s | 1.354s |
11 | Charles Leclerc | Van Amersfoort Racing | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m15.371s | 1.664s |
12 | Callum Ilott | Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m15.495s | 1.788s |
13 | Gustavo Menezes | Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m15.660s | 1.953s |
14 | Matt Rao | Fortec Motorsports | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m15.954s | 2.247s |
15 | Ryan Tveter | Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m16.058s | 2.351s |
16 | Maximilian Guenther | KFZTeile24 Mucke Motorsport | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m16.082s | 2.375s |
17 | Nicolas Pohler | Double R Racing | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m16.167s | 2.460s |
18 | Arjun Maini | Van Amersfoort Racing | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m16.408s | 2.701s |
19 | Martin Cao | Fortec Motorsports | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m16.616s | 2.909s |
20 | George Russell | Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m16.770s | 3.063s |
21 | Alessio Lorandi | Van Amersfoort Racing | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m17.045s | 3.338s |
22 | Julio Moreno | ThreeBond with T-Sport | Dallara/NBE | 2m17.245s | 3.538s |
23 | Matt Solomon | Double R Racing | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m17.427s | 3.720s |
24 | Raoul Hyman | Team West-Tec F3 | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m18.005s | 4.298s |
25 | Fabian Schiller | Team West-Tec F3 | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m19.209s | 5.502s |
26 | Mahaveer Raghunathan | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m19.663s | 5.956s |
27 | Kang Ling | KFZTeile24 Mucke Motorsport | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m19.840s | 6.133s |
28 | Michele Beretta | KFZTeile24 Mucke Motorsport | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m20.601s | 6.894s |
29 | Nabil Jeffri | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m20.801s | 7.094s |
30 | Tatiana Calderon | Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m21.020s | 7.313s |
- | Alexander Albon | Signature | Dallara/Volkswagen | - | - |
- | Sam MacLeod | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | - | - |
- | Pietro Fittipaldi | Fortec Motorsports | Dallara/Mercedes | - | - |
RACE THREE GRID:
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jake Dennis | Prema Powerteam | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m14.665s | - |
2 | Mikkel Jensen | KFZTeile24 Mucke Motorsport | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m14.677s | 0.012s |
3 | Markus Pommer | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m14.950s | 0.285s |
4 | Felix Rosenqvist | Prema Powerteam | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m15.606s | 0.941s |
5 | Sergio Sette Camara | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m15.631s | 0.966s |
6 | Brandon Maisano | Prema Powerteam | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m14.812s | 0.147s |
7 | Callum Ilott | Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m15.644s | 0.979s |
8 | Dorian Boccolacci | Signature | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m15.799s | 1.134s |
9 | Charles Leclerc | Van Amersfoort Racing | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m16.107s | 1.442s |
10 | Arjun Maini | Van Amersfoort Racing | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m16.514s | 1.849s |
11 | Santino Ferrucci | KFZTeile24 Mucke Motorsport | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m16.525s | 1.860s |
12 | Matt Rao | Fortec Motorsports | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m16.839s | 2.174s |
13 | Ryan Tveter | Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m17.108s | 2.443s |
14 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m17.337s | 2.672s |
15 | Julio Moreno | ThreeBond with T-Sport | Dallara/NBE | 2m17.361s | 2.696s |
16 | Martin Cao | Fortec Motorsports | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m17.487s | 2.822s |
17 | Nicolas Pohler | Double R Racing | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m17.517s | 2.852s |
18 | Maximilian Guenther | KFZTeile24 Mucke Motorsport | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m17.721s | 3.056s |
19 | Alessio Lorandi | Van Amersfoort Racing | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m18.088s | 3.423s |
20 | Raoul Hyman | Team West-Tec F3 | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m18.132s | 3.467s |
21 | George Russell | Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m18.337s | 3.672s |
22 | Michele Beretta | KFZTeile24 Mucke Motorsport | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m20.997s | 6.332s |
23 | Fabian Schiller | Team West-Tec F3 | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m21.494s | 6.829s |
24 | Mahaveer Raghunathan | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m21.742s | 7.077s |
25 | Matt Solomon | Double R Racing | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m21.778s | 7.113s |
26 | Nabil Jeffri | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m21.783s | 7.118s |
27 | Tatiana Calderon | Carlin | Dallara/Volkswagen | 3m10.163s | 55.498s |
28 | Alexander Albon | Signature | Dallara/Volkswagen | - | - |
29 | Pietro Fittipaldi | Fortec Motorsports | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m15.219s | 0.554s |
30 | Sam MacLeod | Motopark | Dallara/Volkswagen | 2m15.061s | 0.396s |
31 | Kang Ling | KFZTeile24 Mucke Motorsport | Dallara/Mercedes | 2m21.948s | 7.283s |
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments