Felix qualified fifth and third respectively for the final two FIA Formula 3 European Championship races of the season at Hockenheim, handing himself a couple of strong grid slots in his bid to return to the F3 podium.
The 20-minute second qualifying session – which followed only a few hours after Qualifying 1 had yielded Felix seventh on the grid for tomorrow’s Race 1 – was red-flagged with 7:19 to go after Roy Nissany ran out of track and hit the barriers on the entry to the Motodrom. Felix was sitting sixth at the time of the stoppage.
As the session restarted, drivers were left undecided on whether to go for a second new-tyre run or remain on their previous sets of Hankook slicks. Felix opted for the latter alternative, preferring to maintain the extra heat generated on his first runs over the potential better grip provided by new rubber.
The decision proved right, as he managed to improve to fifth on the final timesheets – demoting 2014 champion Esteban Ocon to sixth by one hundredth of a second.
Felix, in turn, came just another 0.01s shy of fourth-placed Jordan King.
The outright times are used to determine the grid for Saturday’s Race 2.
On the list charting second-fastest efforts, and providing the starting order for Race 3, Felix ended up third – leaving him well in the mix for the podium as the season comes to a close on Sunday. Felix out-qualified both Ocon and 2015 Toro Rosso Formula 1 signing Max Verstappen on both outright and second-fastest times.
Tom Blomqvist (Carlin) scored a set of double pole positions.
The first race of the weekend takes place at 10.25 tomorrow morning (local time).
FELIX:
“A decent session for us, in which I think we got more or less what we could out of the car. I opted to stay on used tyres after the red flag – I’d noticed that it took some time for them to get up to temperature, so I figured new ones wouldn’t work – and I did manage to slightly improve my position on the final run. It was right on the limit, though; I had a big slide coming out of the final corner, and the tyres were just starting to go off.
“We have three decent grid slots for the races this weekend – seventh, fifth and third – and there’s every opportunity to challenge for the podium in each of the three races. I will make whatever it takes to return there, and to finish the season on a high.”
RESULTS
Fastest laps (grid for Race 2)
Pos. | No | Driver | Laps | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 31 | Tom Blomqvist / GBR Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | 10 | 1:31.817 | |
2 | 19 | Antonio Giovinazzi / ITA Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | 11 | 1:32.152 | 00.335 |
3 | 3 | Lucas Auer / AUT kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport | 10 | 1:32.245 | 00.428 |
4 | 5 | Jordan King / GBR Carlin | 10 | 1:32.403 | 00.586 |
5 | 27 | Felix Rosenqvist / SWE kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport | 10 | 1:32.414 | 00.597 |
6 | 2 | Esteban Ocon / FRA Prema Powerteam | 11 | 1:32.422 | 00.605 |
7 | 25 | Antonio Fuoco / ITA Prema Powerteam | 12 | 1:32.433 | 00.616 |
8 | 18 | Tatiana Calderón / COL Jo Zeller Racing | 10 | 1:32.754 | 00.937 |
9 | 30 | Max Verstappen / NED Van Amersfoort Racing | 10 | 1:32.832 | 01.015 |
10 | 20 | Sean Gelael / INA Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | 11 | 1:32.840 | 01.023 |
11 | 4 | Roy Nissany / ISR kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport | 9 | 1:32.922 | 01.105 |
12 | 16 | Gustavo Menezes / USA Van Amersfoort Racing | 11 | 1:32.950 | 01.133 |
13 | 26 | Dennis van de Laar / NED Prema Powerteam | 11 | 1:33.000 | 01.183 |
14 | 6 | Edward Jones / UAE Carlin | 11 | 1:33.039 | 01.222 |
15 | 21 | Félix Serrallés / USA Team West-TecF3 | 13 | 1:33.177 | 01.360 |
16 | 10 | Santino Ferrucci / USA Fortec Motorsports | 13 | 1:33.321 | 01.504 |
17 | 15 | Jules Szymkowiak / NED Van Amersfoort Racing | 11 | 1:33.391 | 01.574 |
18 | 28 | Jake Dennis / GBR Carlin | 10 | 1:33.472 | 01.655 |
19 | 11 | Richard Goddard / AUS ThreeBond with T-Sport | 13 | 1:33.890 | 02.073 |
20 | 12 | Alexander Toril / ESP ThreeBond with T-Sport | 12 | 1:33.894 | 02.077 |
21 | 29 | Stefano Coletti / MCO Eurointernational | 10 | 1:34.028 | 02.211 |
22 | 8 | Michele Beretta / ITA Eurointernational | 11 | 1:34.362 | 02.545 |
23 | 17 | Sandro Zeller / SUI Jo Zeller Racing | 11 | 1:34.397 | 02.580 |
24 | 22 | Wing Chung Chang / MAC Team West-Tec F3 | 13 | 1:34.448 | 02.631 |
Second-fastest laps (grid for Race 3)
Pos. | No | Driver | Laps | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 31 | Tom Blomqvist / GBR Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | 10 | 1:31.987 | 1:31.987 |
2 | 3 | Lucas Auer / AUT kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport | 10 | 1:32.286 | 1:32.286 |
3 | 27 | Felix Rosenqvist / SWE kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport | 10 | 1:32.429 | 1:32.429 |
4 | 19 | Antonio Giovinazzi / ITA Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | 11 | 1:32.545 | 1:32.545 |
5 | 5 | Jordan King / GBR Carlin | 10 | 1:32.669 | 1:32.669 |
6 | 2 | Esteban Ocon / FRA Prema Powerteam | 11 | 1:32.710 | 1:32.710 |
7 | 25 | Antonio Fuoco / ITA Prema Powerteam | 12 | 1:32.763 | 1:32.763 |
8 | 30 | Max Verstappen / NED Van Amersfoort Racing | 10 | 1:32.846 | 1:32.846 |
9 | 20 | Sean Gelael / INA Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | 11 | 1:32.848 | 1:32.848 |
10 | 16 | Gustavo Menezes / USA Van Amersfoort Racing | 11 | 1:33.113 | 1:33.113 |
11 | 6 | Edward Jones / UAE Carlin | 11 | 1:33.201 | 1:33.201 |
12 | 4 | Roy Nissany / ISR kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport | 9 | 1:33.330 | 1:33.330 |
13 | 21 | Félix Serrallés / USA Team West-TecF3 | 13 | 1:33.333 | 1:33.333 |
14 | 26 | Dennis van de Laar / NED Prema Powerteam | 11 | 1:33.356 | 1:33.356 |
15 | 15 | Jules Szymkowiak / NED Van Amersfoort Racing | 11 | 1:33.392 | 1:33.392 |
16 | 18 | Tatiana Calderón / COL Jo Zeller Racing | 10 | 1:33.456 | 1:33.456 |
17 | 10 | Santino Ferrucci / USA Fortec Motorsports | 13 | 1:33.513 | 1:33.513 |
18 | 28 | Jake Dennis / GBR Carlin | 10 | 1:33.627 | 1:33.627 |
19 | 11 | Richard Goddard / AUS ThreeBond with T-Sport | 13 | 1:33.949 | 1:33.949 |
20 | 12 | Alexander Toril / ESP ThreeBond with T-Sport | 12 | 1:34.012 | 1:34.012 |
21 | 29 | Stefano Coletti / MCO Eurointernational | 10 | 1:34.088 | 1:34.088 |
22 | 22 | Wing Chung Chang / MAC Team West-Tec F3 | 13 | 1:34.550 | 1:34.550 |
23 | 8 | Michele Beretta / ITA Eurointernational | 11 | 1:34.558 | 1:34.558 |
24 | 17 | Sandro Zeller / SUI Jo Zeller Racing | 11 | 1:34.563 | 1:34.563 |