F2: Vesti leaves it late to secure maiden pole position in Spielberg

Mercedes junior Frederik Vesti put it all on the line in Qualifying in Spielberg. Relegated to the bottom of the timing sheets after his first attempt was deleted for track limits, a do-or-die last-ditch attempt in the final minutes was enough for him to claim his first pole position in Formula 2.

Featuring the fewest corners on the calendar, the Red Bull Ring witnessed heavy traffic during Qualifying, as several drivers found their best attempts hampered by those up ahead, particularly on the second runs on the purple-walled Pirelli supersofts.

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Three thousandths of a second separated the top two, as Juri Vips claimed second ahead of Williams Racing junior Logan Sargeant. However, it was Ayumu Iwasa who caught everyone’s attention as the session drew to a conclusion. While his rivals headed into the pits as the chequered flag was waved, the Red Bull junior was on an absolute flyer and snatched fourth at the eleventh hour from Championship leader Felipe Drugovich.

Early pace setter Jack Doohan had to settle for sixth, while Amaury Cordeel brought home his and Van Amersfoort Racing’s best Qualifying result in F2 so far in seventh. Richard Verschoor took eighth, as track limit violations elsewhere worked in Theo Pourchaire and Marcus Armstrong’s favour, as the pair held on to the final top 10 spots.

With second and third place silverware from the Red Bull Ring already, Armstrong will be looking to add a winners’ trophy to his cabinet when he lines up on reverse grid pole. Lights go out for the Sprint Race at 1755 local time on Saturday.

For more on F2, visit the official series website.