For the first time in its history, Formula 2 has arrived in Canada, adding a brand‑new Round with the Canadian Grand Prix. Laurens van Hoepen has claimed the first-ever Formula 2 pole position on Canadian soil, ahead of Rafael Câmara and Alexander Dunne.
The session was a mix of tight margins and the unique challenge of a circuit the F2 grid has never raced on before. Laurens van Hoepen secured the front row for the Feature Race on Sunday at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Testing the waters in Canada
First fast laps of the session, and the lead keeps changing, but Mini had a short-lived advantage. The lead keeps jumping between several drivers; however, Gabriele retakes the lead with a great start to the session. In his first lap, championship leader Nikola Tsolov set an impressive 1:22. 373 and took the lead momentarily, as Nico Varrone bested the Bulgarian driver’s time.
Despite the struggles during Free Practice, Rafael Câmara looked more confident during the Qualifying session, setting a lap time that secured him a provisional pole. Meanwhile, Alex Dunne was the first driver into the pit lane as the session reached the midway point.
With 10 minutes to go, the top 10 was led by Câmara, Nico Varrone, and Laurens Van Hoepen. Dino Beganovic sat in fourth, ahead of Inthraphuvasak, Nikola Tsolov, Roman Bilinski, Noel Leon, and Joshua Dürksen. Alexander Dunne closed the Top 10.
And calm turns to chaos
Drivers headed out once again for this Qualifying session for the Formula 2 Canadian Grand Prix. Oliver Goethe found the barrier and deployed a red flag as the MP Motorsport car came to a stop on the track. The session restared and with 6 minutes remaining, Tsolov went for it immediately, with a lap less compared to the rest of the field.
However, the session was interrupted again as Inthraphuvasak went into the barriers, triggering the second red flag of the Qualifying session for the Formula 2 Canadian Grand Prix. The session restarted with three minutes on the clock as drivers opted to set early laps.
The Campos Racing line-up was the first to go and secured a front row, led by Tsolov. However, Stenshorne responded quickly and secured the provisional pole for the Formula 2 Canadian Grand Prix. It was Dunne who took pole from his teammate. However, in a last-second lap, Laurens Van Hoepen snatched pole as Câmara climbed to second.
Van Hoepen will start on pole for the Formula 2 Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, next to Câmara. Dunne and Tsolov, the championship leader, will start from the second row. Meanwhile, Gabriele Mini will be taking the first spot for Saturday’s sprint, as he qualified tenth.
