Monza GP2: Red Bull's Pierre Gasly secures maiden pole position
Red Bull junior Pierre Gasly continued on from his strong free practice form to take his maiden pole position for Saturday's GP2 feature race at Monza
Gasly left it late in the session to deny Mitch Evans what would have been his first pole of the season by 0.152 seconds, with a time of 1m31.272s.
Russian Time driver Evans led the way early despite going off at Turn 1 and della Roggia a number of times but couldn't improve late.
McLaren's championship leader Stoffel Vandoorne ran consistently near the top but finished the session 0.206s off Gasly's pole time, and lines up third.
Williams F1 development driver Alex Lynn secured fourth ahead of Rapax's Sergey Sirotkin and Campos Racing's Rio Haryanto.
Arthur Pic, Richie Stanaway, Sergio Canamasas and Alexander Rossi completed the top 10.
Racing Engineering driver Rossi attempted a different strategy to the rest of the field, following traffic issues that hampered some fast laps in qualifying at Spa.
He enjoyed a clear track for a number of laps when others came in for their mid-session tyre change and was able to jump up to eighth, before others improved.
Nissan protege Jann Mardenborough improved immensely following practice and will line up 19th on the grid, ahead of returning GP2 veteran Rene Binder.
The GP2 newcomer beat fellow rookies Patric Niederhauser and Meindert van Buuren by more than half a second, the pair to start 24th and 25th respectively.
QUALIFYING RESULT
| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pierre Gasly | DAMS | 1m31.272s | 12 |
| 2 | Stoffel Vandoorne | ART Grand Prix | 0.206s | 12 |
| 3 | Alex Lynn | DAMS | 0.343s | 12 |
| 4 | Sergey Sirotkin | Rapax | 0.368s | 12 |
| 5 | Rio Haryanto | Campos Racing | 0.626s | 11 |
| 6 | Arthur Pic | Campos Racing | 0.666s | 11 |
| 7 | Richie Stanaway | Status Grand Prix | 0.713s | 11 |
| 8 | Alexander Rossi | Racing Engineering | 0.742s | 12 |
| 9 | Raffaele Marciello | Trident | 0.799s | 12 |
| 10 | Nobuharu Matsushita | ART Grand Prix | 0.828s | 13 |
| 11 | Robert Visoiu | Rapax | 0.883s | 12 |
| 12 | Julian Leal | Carlin | 0.887s | 13 |
| 13 | Norman Nato | Arden International | 0.902s | 12 |
| 14 | Johnny Cecotto Jr. | Trident | 0.904s | 11 |
| 15 | Jordan King | Racing Engineering | 1.011s | 12 |
| 16 | Andre Negrao | Arden International | 1.114s | 13 |
| 17 | Jann Mardenborough | Carlin | 1.126s | 13 |
| 18 | Rene Binder | MP Motorsport | 1.175s | 12 |
| 19 | Marlon Stockinger | Status Grand Prix | 1.347s | 11 |
| 20 | Artem Markelov | RUSSIAN TIME | 1.365s | 11 |
| 21 | Simon Trummer | Hilmer Motorsport | 1.522s | 11 |
| 22 | Patric Niederhauser | Daiko Team Lazarus | 1.641s | 13 |
| 23 | Meindert van Buuren | MP Motorsport | 1.854s | 11 |
| - | Mitch Evans | RUSSIAN TIME | - | 10 |
| - | Sergio Canamasas | Daiko Team Lazarus | - | 13 |
Previous article
Monza GP2: Red Bull's Pierre Gasly fastest in free practice
Next article
GP2 Monza: Mitch Evans sent to the back of the grid
The Red Bull F1 junior aiming to defy geographical odds
It's a long way from Pukekohe New Zealand to Milton Keynes, but Red Bull's Kiwi protege Liam Lawson has defied plenty of odds to reach the rung below F1. He's endured disappointment since winning on his F2 debut in Bahrain, but is determined to turn his season around and prove himself worthy of a place in F1
How Red Bull's next F1 hopeful turned around his season
Having impressed in Formula 3, Juri Vips looked to be next cab off the rank in Red Bull's prestigious Junior Team before his 2020 schedule was dealt a heavy blow by the COVID-19 pandemic. After a tough start to life in Formula 2, Vips is showing signs of a recovery - could he be the first Estonian to reach Formula 1?
The making of an F1 hopeful re-writing the F2 record books
He'd marked himself out as a star of the future in last year's FIA Formula 3 championship, but 17-year-old Theo Pourchaire underlined his credentials by winning his first Formula 2 race in the Monaco feature. Sauber junior status gives him a clear route to the top, but with wisdom beyond his years, he's not getting caught up in his own hype
The 10 greatest F2 races contested by F1 drivers
Formula 2 used to be about more than providing a stepping stone to F1. For three decades it often provided another setting for the world’s best to fight it out. Autosport picks out the very best races
The F1 hopeful living two lives to keep his dream alive
Having lost his backing from Red Bull, Richard Verschoor has had to graft to continue his ascent up the single-seater ladder. An impressive Formula 2 debut in Bahrain, despite the lateness of his deal, shows his unorthodox approach is paying dividends
Was Formula 2’s radical format switch a success?
Going into the 2021 Formula 2 season the biggest talking point wasn’t about any drivers or teams, but the new race weekend format. Created partly out of financial necessity but also to spice up the action, the Bahrain opener provided a snapshot of the positives and negatives to come
Why 2021 is make-or-break for the driver F1 needs
He was tipped for glory in FIA Formula 2 last year, but was hampered by reliability woes at inopportune moments. Guanyu Zhou knows he won't get too many more chances if he is to become China's first F1 driver, with fierce competition within the ranks of Alpine's junior stable
How Schumacher Jr earned his Haas F1 chance
Michael Schumacher may have won seven Formula 1 titles, but he didn't even compete for a crown at the second tier. Son Mick put that right in 2020, and proved to Ferrari that he was deserving of a shot at motorsport's elite category in 2021
