F2: Doohan takes first pole of 2023 in Hungary qualifying

Jack Doohan took his first pole of the 2023 FIA Formula 2 season in a hard-fought qualifying session around the Hungaroring. The Invicta Virtuosi Racing driver secured the top spot ahead of Alpine Academy stable mate Victor Martins, as the ART Grand Prix driver missed out on a third-consecutive pole by just 0.052s.

Championship leader Frederik Vesti had held P1 throughout most of the session but fell to third by the chequered flag. The trio had been fighting for the top spot from the very early stages, but the PREMA Racing driver couldn’t find a late improvement.

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The Mercedes Junior Team member will have his closest championship rival in Theo Pourchaire for company on the second row of the grid.

Fellow Frenchman and Hitech Pulse-Eight driver Isack Hadjar matched his best qualifying result of the year, jumping up the order into fourth position in the final minutes of the session.

Third in the championship, Ayumu Iwasa was the fastest man in free practice, but the Red Bull Junior Team driver couldn’t quite replicate that pace in qualifying. He moved himself into the top five early on but slipped to sixth by the end.

Oliver Bearman ended qualifying seventh for PREMA Racing ahead of MP Motorsport team mates Jehan Daruvala and Dennis Hauger. Campos Racing’s Kush Maini rounded out the top 10.

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For a full in-depth report of the FIA Formula 2 qualifying session, visit the official F2 website.