Leclerc takes pole in F3 Qualifying at Hungaroring

Arthur Leclerc took pole position for Race 3 in Qualifying at the Hungaroring as the FIA Formula 3 Championship gears up for its fourth round of the season, crossing the halfway point of another thrilling campaign.

Jonny Edgar will be on Race 1 pole on account of qualifying 12th, while Leclerc also takes four Championship points for setting the fastest lap of the session.

Lorenzo Colombo (Campos Racing) was fastest for the first ten minutes of the session, a 1:33.805 putting him just ahead of Jack Doohan (Trident), Dennis Hauger (PREMA Racing) and Matteo Nannini (HWA Racelab).

The Italian looked set to improve on that benchmark, before boxing around the halfway stage of the half-hour session.

Most of the field retreated to the pits, while the Hitech GP trio of Ayumu Iwasa, Roman Stanek and Jak Crawford, yet to show their true pace in the session, went second, sixth and tenth with their first representative times.

PREMA’s Arthur Leclerc also took his time in turning in a quick lap, but once he did, his 1:33.164 sent him top of the order by less than a tenth from Doohan.

Doohan, Clement Novalak and Dennis Hauger had all shared the fastest time for short spells as they tailed each other around the 4.3km Hungaroring.

Things slowed down until the last five minutes, as Jenzer Motorsport‘s Calan Williams improved five places to 15th with a 1:34.037, with Nannini also moving in the right direction.

Rafael Villagomez and Lazslo Toth had improved on their respective best first-sector times, but bailed out of laps which may have lifted them from the foot of the table.

Olli Caldwell joined his PREMA team-mates at the right end of the times late on, a 1:33.704 taking him up to ninth, while Jonny Edgar and Enzo Fittipaldi also improved.

Edgar’s Carlin Buzz Racing team-mate Ido Cohen improved to 26th, Filip Ugran finding time but staying 30th-fastest.

Back at the top, Dennis Hauger shot up to second at the flag, ending the session less than a tenth behind team-mate Leclerc, the Monegasque driver taking his first pole of the season.

Trident team-mates Doohan and Schumacher will make up the second row in Race 3, with fellow Trident man Clement Novalak and ART Grand Prix‘s Free Practice pace-setter Alex Smolyar fifth and sixth.

Smolyar’s ART team-mate Frederik Vesti and Logan Sargeant (Charouz Racing System) start seventh and eighth on Sunday afternoon, ahead of Caldwell and Iwasa.

Jonny Edgar will start Race 1 on pole, with early time-topping Lorenzo Colombo joining him on the front row on Saturday morning.

2021 Hungaroring Qualifying Results: