Benavides Claims Maiden F3 Pole in Dramatic Qualifying

American Shocks Field with Last-Gasp Effort

Brad Benavides has secured his and AIX Racing’s first-ever FIA Formula 3 Aramco Pole Position Award following a nail-biting qualifying session. The American driver delivered a stunning final lap to snatch the top spot.

Voisin Secures Strong Start

Benavides set a blistering pace with a 2:04.253 in his final run, narrowly edging out Championship leader Rafael Câmara of TRIDENT. Callum Voisin from Rodin Motorsport will start from third, rounding out an exciting top three.

Early Pace and Track Limits Woes

Initially, Câmara had set the benchmark with a 2:05.557, placing him ahead of Ugo Ugochukwu. However, practice pace-setter Mari Boya saw his opening effort disallowed for exceeding track limits at the challenging Pouhon corner.

Tyre Strategy and Improvements

As drivers pushed on their first set of tyres, improvements were seen throughout the top 10. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak closed the gap to Câmara, while Alessandro Giusti claimed third on his subsequent attempt.

Strategic Pit Stop and Second Run

With the session at its halfway mark, most teams opted for a fresh set of Pirelli Medium tyres. Early out on the new rubber, Théophile Nael briefly took the lead with a 2:05.508, as Santiago Ramos moved up to third.

Late Surge Decides Pole

The track evolved rapidly, leading to significant time improvements as the session drew to a close. Benavides’ provisional pole-setting lap came with just three minutes remaining. Despite Câmara improving his time, he couldn’t surpass the American’s mark, ending up 0.106 seconds adrift.

Final Lap Drama

A frantic scramble for track position saw Ugochukwu lead the field out for the final attempts with less than 30 seconds on the clock. However, no driver managed to find the necessary pace to dislodge Benavides from pole.

Championship Picture

This pole position is a significant achievement for Benavides and AIX Racing, marking their maiden top qualifying spot in the Championship. Câmara‘s lap, briefly deleted for track limits, was reinstated, securing him second on the grid ahead of Voisin.

Rodin Motorsport‘s challenge continues with Roman Bilinski in fourth, followed by Martinius Stenshorne in fifth. Ugochukwu will start sixth, with Tsolov and Inthraphuvasak of Campos Racing seventh and eighth respectively. Charlie Wurz and Bruno del Pino completed the top 10.

For the Sprint Race on Saturday morning, Noah Stromsted and Freddie Slater will start from the front row, with the latter from reverse grid pole. The FIA Formula 3 Sprint Race is scheduled to commence at 09:15 local time.