Smolyar takes pole for FIA F3 Feature Race in Hungary, Goethe on debut reverse-grid pole

Alexander Smolyar will start the FIA Formula 3 Championship‘s Feature Race at the Hungaroring from pole position, benefitting from a late red flag in Qualifying which prevented several drivers from improving.

The session ended with a three-minute sprint after the stoppage, but no-one was able to better the MP Motorsport driver’s effort, with Zane Maloney continuing his strong pace from Free Practice and Oliver Bearman showing his hand to go P3.

Jonny Edgar was the first to set a representative time, but his Trident team-mate Maloney and Caio Collet soon improved to push the British driver down the order.

Oliver Goethe was one of several drivers to lose times to track limit violations throughout the session, in this case at Turn 4. That tour would have been good enough for P6 but he stayed P10 after it was chalked off.

Arthur Leclerc went quickest with a 1:32.912, just ahead of Jak Crawford, fastest in Practice, and just behind Bearman who later improved.

Smolyar went just under a tenth quicker to go onto provisional pole, before Zak O’Sullivan stopped on track to bring out the red flag.

Crawford was warming up for a fast lap at the end of the session, holding up the other two Prema Racing cars who subsequently couldn’t get a lap in.

Smolyar will start the Feature Race from pole, ahead of Bearman, Leclerc and Gregoire Saucy.

Kush Maini lines up sixth, ahead of Crawford, Victor Martins, Collet and Isack Hadjar.

FIA Formula 3 Hungaroring Qualifying Results: