Stanek on F3 Feature Race pole in Barcelona

Roman Stanek will start the FIA Formula 3 Feature Race on pole at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday, while David Vidales will start on Sprint Race pole on Saturday morning after a penalty for Zane Maloney.

Vidales started the Sprint Race from third at the season opener in Bahrain in March, eventually finishing tenth.

Maloney will start both races from the pits after missing the weighbridge when he pitted mid-session, with the Trident team working on the car immediately afterwards. That penalty means he forfeits pole position for Saturday’s shorter race.

The temperatures had continued to rise after Free Practice; that didn’t deter too much of the field though, as they looked to set representative times early.

Kaylen Frederick‘s early benchmark was usurped by Caio Collet inside the first ten minutes, with Franco Colapinto going second and Practice-topping Victor Martins third.

Alexander Smolyar and Frederick’s Hitech GP team-mate Isack Hadjar were fourth and fifth respectively at the halfway stage.

Jak Crawford and Arthur Leclerc led Juan Manuel Correa and Oliver Bearman, who ensured all three Prema Racing cars were in the top ten after the first set of representative times were set.

Hadjar, Smolyar and Martins then shared top honours consecutively, before Martins set a 1:33.568 to keep his nose in front.

Prema’s two Ferrari Driver Academy prospects, Leclerc and Bearman went third and fourth, with Hadjar and Crawford just behind as the quartet remained inseparable.

Stanek had made a steady start to the session, not showing his true hand until later on, but eventually set a 1:33.516 to secure Feature Race pole.

Martins will line up second, ahead of Smolyar, Hadjar, Leclerc, Bearman, Caio Collet, Kaylen Frederick, Jak Crawford and Juan Manuel Correa who rounds out the top ten.

Provisional FIA Formula 3 Barcelona Qualifying Results: