Round 6 of the Formula 2 Championship takes place in Spielberg, Austria. Noel León secured his first pole position for the Feature race at the Red Bull Ring after an impressive lap, ahead of Alexander Dunne and Nikola Tsolov. Meanwhile, Sebastián Montoya will start on pole for the Sprint on Saturday, according to the reverse grid option.
The opening run
As drivers set the first times, Alexander Dunne set the benchmark as several drivers exchanged positions behind him, as they set their own first laps. Noel León beat Dunne’s first time, followed by his Campos Racing teammate Nikola Tsolov and Joshua Dürksen. However, Rafael Câmara went fastest in his first lap.
Fifteen minutes into the session, the timesheet was established, and there weren’t any major improvements as the drivers went back into the pit lane. Rafael Câmara kept the provisional pole ahead of León and Tsolov. Gabriele Mini, the current championship leader, behind the Bulgarian driver.
Throughout the Qualifying session, drivers had to adapt to changing track conditions and temperature fluctuations, as these factors influenced tyre wear, grip, braking performance, and the handling of their cars.
Noel León sets the pace for pole position
León was the first driver out and opted to set the first lap of the second run. The Mexican improved enough to beat Câmara’s provisional pole position time and took the top of the timesheet with a five-tenths gap. As the rest of the field went out, León went back to the pits.
With less than ten minutes on the clock, and a quite uneventful session, this last stage of Qualifying proved crucial. On their second run, several drivers improved their times, but Noel León remained unbeaten. Dunne split the Campos Racing, as Mini remained behind Tsolov in fourth. Câmara was down in fifth, with two minutes remaining.
At the end of the session, Noel León took his first pole position in Spielberg, ahead of Alexander Dunne and his teammate Nikola Tsolov. Gabriele Mini and Rafael Câmara were down in fourth and fifth. Sebastián Montoya, who qualified tenth, will start from pole for the Sprint race on Saturday.
