{"id":868,"date":"2014-04-25T18:51:46","date_gmt":"2014-04-25T16:51:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/b106543.web05.cust.bluerange.se\/?p=868"},"modified":"2014-04-26T13:39:29","modified_gmt":"2014-04-26T11:39:29","slug":"felix-to-start-inaugural-fa1-race-from-row-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/felixracing.se\/en\/felix-to-start-inaugural-fa1-race-from-row-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Felix to start inaugural FA1 race from row two"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Algarve-31\"<\/a>Felix will start the first-ever FA1 race from\u00a0third place on the grid, after the three-way\u00a0fight between Team Sweden, Team Italy and Team Netherlands\u00a0romped on in\u00a0Portim\u00e3o in Friday qualifying.<\/p>\n

Much like in the previous practice\u00a0sessions, the\u00a0battle for P1 again turned into a scrap featuring Felix, Mirko Bortolotti (Italy) and Nigel Melker (Netherlands) – this time with pole position for tomorrow’s season-opener at stake. As expected, drivers were effectively given just one attempt at setting their laps,\u00a0with the peaky\u00a0Michelin tyres going off rapidly –\u00a0sending Felix very much into\u00a0unknown territory a long way\u00a0from the Formula 3 qualifying structure of ever-improving lap times on more durable Hankooks.<\/p>\n

2011 Formula 2 champion Bortolotti eventually came out on top to grab pole with a 1m32.694s effort, two tenths ahead of\u00a0Melker and a further three ahead of Felix.\u00a0Fourth-placed Richard Gonda, meanwhile, wound up half a second off Felix.<\/p>\n

Rounding out the top five was experienced 27-year-old\u00a0Sergio Campana,\u00a0who finished third overall\u00a0in AutoGP in 2013 driving the same type of car used in FA1. Further down the list,\u00a0official Marussia Formula 1 tester\u00a0Rodolfo Gonz\u00e1lez\u00a0took eighth place, more than four seconds off the leading pace.<\/p>\n

Tomorrow’s opening race will run over 30 minutes and feature one mandatory pit stop. Before the lights go out, however, a second qualifying session\u00a0will hit the limelight tomorrow morning, setting up the\u00a0grid for Sunday’s 45-minute Race 2.<\/p>\n

FELIX:<\/p>\n

“An OK session. It felt like a\u00a0good lap, but we still have some\u00a0more work to do.\u00a0We particularly have to\u00a0investigate a problem we’re having in the final\u00a0corner, where the engine actually\u00a0switches off\u00a0momentarily when we go over a steep crest. That means we carry less speed onto the\u00a0start\/finish straight, which then hurts us\u00a0in sector one –\u00a0where I lost four tenths to Mirko and Nigel. Considering that, I think\u00a0today was pretty good, and we’re ready to take the fight in the race tomorrow. It will be\u00a0extra interesting to do a pit stop for the first\u00a0time!”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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RESULTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Sk\u00e4rmklipp\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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FA1 Portim\u00e3o:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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