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Macau Grand Prix: Red Bull junior Juri Vips claims pole

Red Bull Formula 1 junior Juri Vips scored a stunning Macau Grand Prix qualifying race pole position for Hitech Grand Prix, almost five seconds quicker than last year's best lap

The lap times had tumbled throughout the weekend - thanks to the introduction of the new FIA Formula 3 car - culminating in Vips setting a 2m06.569s in free practice two on Friday morning, 3.341s quicker than last year's pole and comfortably the fastest ever F3 laps around Macau.


Watch the Macau Grand Prix - plus the WTCR races, Motorcycle GP and FIA GT World Cup - live on Autosport this weekend


The pace was hot immediately in qualifying, and Prema Racing's Marcus Armstrong became the first driver to dip under the 2m06s barrier in the second half of the session.

But on his next flying lap the Ferrari protege ploughed into the barrier at the outside of Police, following a session best second sector.

That caused the second red flag, after near-simultaneous early crashes from Leo Pulcini and Enzo Fittipaldi at the same place Armstrong shunted.

A 19-minute shootout for pole followed the Armstrong crash, and Vips came to the fore - pumping in a 2m04.997s with seven minutes to go and putting himself seven tenths clear of anyone else at that point.

Armstrong's team-mate, fellow Ferrari junior and the FIA Formula 3 champion Robert Shwartzman, was in the top three for most of the session and his late improvement looked enough to worry the pit-bound Vips. But it wasn't to be as the Russian fell 0.379s short.

Callum Ilott, another Ferrari protege, hadn't even driven the FIA F3 car in a sim prior to the event, but the Sauber Junior Team driver stepping down from his regular Formula 2 seat for his fifth Macau starred with third.

Renault junior Christian Lundgaard looked a sullen figure before final qualifying as he and ART Grand Prix chased a suitable set-up, but the rookie leapt forward mid-session. Fourth place made him the best of the four Macau first-timers in the top 10.

MP Motorsport's Richard Verschoor completed the top five, the Dutchman also impressing on his first visit to the Guia track, just 0.054s shy of Lundgaard.

Macau veteran Jake Hughes put event debutant HWA into the top six with a late lunge after spending most of the session outside of the top 15.

Formula Regional European champion Fredrik Vesti is also new to the FIA F3 car, but still took a stunning seventh for Prema. He had contested last year's Macau GP in the previous generation car.

Arjun Maini was another third-tier returnee who didn't get into the sim before the event, but followed up the impressive performances Yuki Tsunoda has produced for Jenzer Motorsport in the FIA F3 season by putting the team eighth.

Armstrong slipped to ninth in the order after his crash, while Macau first-timer Logan Sargeant was the top Carlin driver amid drama for his double Macau winner team-mate Dan Ticktum.

The Briton hit an already stationary David Beckmann at Police in practice two, despite a huge snap of oversteer in an attempt to avoid the stricken Trident driver.

A herculean effort from the Carlin squad ensued as the team swapped the engine and gearbox, rear wing, floor and other bodywork in fewer than four hours.

Ticktum managed 13th, despite having only 20 minutes of running.

Second qualifying times

Pos Driver Team Time Gap
1 Juri Vips Hitech Grand Prix 2m04.997s -
2 Robert Shwartzman SJM Theodore Racing by Prema 2m05.376s 0.379s
3 Callum Ilott Sauber Junior Team by Charouz 2m05.580s 0.583s
4 Christian Lundgaard ART Grand Prix 2m05.669s 0.672s
5 Richard Verschoor MP Motorsport 2m05.723s 0.726s
6 Jake Hughes HWA Racelab 2m05.774s 0.777s
7 Frederik Vesti SJM Theodore Racing by Prema 2m05.776s 0.779s
8 Arjun Maini Jenzer Motorsport 2m05.814s 0.817s
9 Marcus Armstrong SJM Theodore Racing by Prema 2m05.955s 0.958s
10 Logan Sargeant Carlin Buzz Racing 2m06.043s 1.046s
11 Ferdinand Habsburg ART Grand Prix 2m06.209s 1.212s
12 Max Fewtrell Hitech Grand Prix 2m06.368s 1.371s
13 Dan Ticktum Carlin Buzz Racing 2m06.406s 1.409s
14 Alessio Lorandi Trident Motorsport 2m06.428s 1.431s
15 Liam Lawson MP Motorsport 2m06.455s 1.458s
16 Felipe Drugovich Carlin Buzz Racing 2m06.637s 1.640s
17 Olli Caldwell Trident Motorsport 2m06.641s 1.644s
18 Sebastian Fernandez ART Grand Prix 2m06.717s 1.720s
19 Enaam Ahmed Campos Racing 2m07.146s 2.149s
20 Yuki Tsunoda Hitech Grand Prix 2m07.307s 2.310s
21 Keyvan Andres HWA Racelab 2m07.579s 2.582s
22 David Schumacher Sauber Junior Team by Charouz 2m07.587s 2.590s
23 Lukas Dunner MP Motorsport 2m07.892s 2.895s
24 David Beckmann Trident Motorsport 2m08.273s 3.276s
25 Andreas Estner Jenzer Motorsport 2m08.651s 3.654s
26 Sophia Florsch HWA Racelab 2m09.259s 4.262s
27 Charles Leong Jenzer Motorsport 2m09.568s 4.571s
28 Leonardo Pulcini Campos Racing 2m10.001s 5.004s
29 Alessio Deledda Campos Racing 2m10.114s 5.117s
30 Enzo Fittipaldi Sauber Junior Team by Charouz 2m10.124s 5.127s


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