Formula 2: Victor Martin won the Silverstone race.

Formula 2: Victor Martin won the Silverstone race.

      The qualifying at Silverstone for Formula 2 started as usual, with the leading drivers immediately declaring their intention for pole position, including experienced Viktor Marten, who has yet to turn his potential into strong race results.

      On Fridays, during youth series qualifying, he usually posts top times, and today it was French ART driver who first set a decent lap. Just a few hundredths behind in early attempts was championship leader Richard Vershor, while Jack Crowford, a swift American racing for DAMS, posted the third best time towards the end of the session.

      It was Crowford who, after penalties imposed on others, inherited third place in Austria last Sunday, although he didn't make it onto the podium after the race finish.

      A couple of minutes later, the session was halted by red flags due to Amori Cordil stopping his car in the middle of the track, which led other drivers to return to the pit lane. Belgian driver Rodin Motorsport self-inflicted an error, resulting in his elimination from further contention. Meanwhile, not all drivers managed to set a time yet.

      After marshals removed Cordil’s car, qualifying resumed. Alex Dunn, one of the championship contenders currently holding second place overall, posted the third-fastest time, bumping Crowford down, but there remained a possibility that the order could still change.

      It seems technical issues prevented Ritam Miata from rejoining the track, as he exited his Dallara, which sports Toyota Gazoo Racing livery—the Japanese automaker's racing division that provides him with financial support.

      Later in the session, both drivers improved their performance, and the track conditions also improved. Initially, Crowford was fastest, but his time was immediately surpassed by Marten, who clocked a lap in 1:39.731. Alex Dunn then moved to second, a week after being disqualified for his car not complying with technical regulations. Now, the Irish driver aimed to recover, and his time was just 0.065 seconds slower than Marten’s.

      In the end, Viktor claimed his second pole of the season and his sixth in his career, while alongside him on the front row of the grid for Sunday’s race will be Alex Dunn—second in the standings. Marten remains ninth despite his experience and qualifying speed.

      Starting from the second row in the main race of the weekend will be Crowford and Roman Staneck, while Sebastián Montoya, son of a former Formula 1 driver, moved up to third, showing that as he gains experience, he's driving faster.

      The Saturday sprint race will see Leonardo Fornaroli of Invicta Racing, the Italian driver currently fourth in the standings, starting from pole position.

      Qualifying Results

      Driver

      Team

      Time

      Diff

      Laps

      1. V. Marten

      ART Grand Prix

      1:39.731

      –

      10

      2. Alex Dunn

      Rodin Motorsport

      1:39.796

      +0.065

      13

      3. D. Crowford

      DAMS

      1:39.971

      +0.240

      10

      4. R. Staneck

      Invicta Racing

      1:40.065

      +0.334

      10

      5. S. Montoya

      Prema

      1:40.138

      +0.407

      10

      6. D. Dürksen

      AIX Racing

      1:40.169

      +0.438

      11

      7. R. Vershor

      MP Motorsport

      1:40.326

      +0.595

      10

      8. D. Beganovic

      Hitech GP

      1:40.337

      +0.606

      11

      9. K. Maini

      DAMS

      1:40.380

      +0.649

      11

      10. L. Fornaroli

      Invicta Racing

      1:40.428

      +0.697

      12

      11. A. Lindblad

      Campos Racing

      1:40.500

      +0.769

      12

      12. L. Brawning

      Hitech GP

      1:40.735

      +1.004

      11

      13. S. Megetunif

      Trident

      1:40.835

      +1.104

      12

      14. M. Esterson

      Trident

      1:40.942

      +1.211

      12

      15. R. Villagomes

      Van Amersfoort Racing

      1:40.996

      +1.265

      10

      16. G. Mini

      Prema

      1:41.068

      +1.337

      11

      17. A. Cordil

      Rodin Motorsport

      1:41.069

      +1.338

      4

      18. D. Bennett

      Van Amersfoort Racing

      1:41.180

      +1.449

      10

      19. O. Göte

      MP Motorsport

      1:41.211

      +1.480

      11

      20. H. Marti

      Campos Racing

      1:41.333

      +1.602

      12

      21. K. Shields

      AIX Racing

      1:41.987

      +2.256

      11

      22. R. Miata

      ART Grand Prix

      No time

      –

      2

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Formula 2: Victor Martin won the Silverstone race.

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