F2 qualifying: Fornaroli secures stunning pole in Bahrain as Lindblad left disappointed in 16th
Leo Fornaroli is on pole for the Formula 2 feature race after a stunning sunset session at the Bahrain International Circuit. It's the Italian's first pole position in Formula 2.
How Fornaroli secured pole in Bahrain
Drivers began the session tentatively, with the first competitive lap coming from new Williams Academy driver, Victor Martins. Invicta's Leo Fornaroli impressed and knocked Martins off of the provisional pole by almost half a second with around 20 minutes to go.
After the first laps, the majority of drivers returned back to the pits until the session reached its eventual climax. The mid-session lull took up a large part of the session as just the DAMS Lucas Oil cars of Kush Maini and Jak Crawford spent time on the circuit. When returning to the pits, Maini's team struggled to restart his car, but the Alpine Academy driver managed to get going again without a hitch.
A grandstand finish came when all 22 cars reemerged onto the circuit to take their final laps. Martins was the first to cross the line and put himself on the provisional pole by five-tenths before Fornaroli reinstated his position in the first.
Race one winner Joshua Durksen will start the feature race from 10th place but will start the sprint race on pole. Meanwhile, Red Bull Academy starlet Arvid Lindblad finished the session in 16th place. Luke Browning, who participated in FP1 with Williams earlier today, jumped into his Hitech to secure third place. The Brit was delighted with the result.
You can watch Saturday's sprint race at 3:15 BST, with the feature race taking place at 12:25 BST on Sunday before the Bahrain Grand Prix.
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