Felix strikes back to secure double Pau front row

Felix finally got to complete a trouble-free session as second qualifying for the Grand Prix de Pau took centre stage on Saturday evening, immediately proving his true potential by comfortably topping his group to grab second place on the grid for tomorrow’s second and third races.

Running in the second part of the “split” qualifying session, Felix wasted no time in heading to the top of the timesheets, working his way down to an eventual 1m10.197s best that saw him lead his group by a full 0.350 seconds around the challenging street venue.

Second quickest in group was Tom Blomqvist (1m10.547s), while Felix’s Mücke Motorsport team-mate Lucas Auer – who topped the same group yesterday in Felix’s absence – could only manage sixth.

While Felix held a clear advantage over the runners participating in his segment of the session, there was a wider story to take into consideration – that of a frenetic overall pole scrap. Esteban Ocon, who ran in the earlier group, eventually came out on top by a trifling 0.005 seconds, his 1m10.192s effort edging out Felix by the tiniest of margins.

The outcome of the session means Felix will start tomorrow’s second and third races from the front row, alongside Ocon.

FELIX:

“That was just what we needed – a problem-free, decent session to prove our true pace. We have had the potential for this all weekend, but now is the time to leave yesterday behind and just focus on the future. I was extremely determined to make the most of this session, and I was willing to take some pretty big risks; good on the car to take some of those hits over the kerbs! With a perfect lap, I know we could have edged ahead of Esteban to grab pole, but it actually doesn’t matter that much to be honest. I’m just happy to be back at the front, where I think we’ve belonged all along, and I will race my heart out tomorrow. This circuit is amazing and I enjoy every lap around here!”

RESULTS

Group A

Group B