F3: Van Hoepen claims first F3 pole after late red flag for title contender Browning in Hungary

Laurens van Hoepen was quick when it counted most, taking his maiden FIA Formula 3 pole position ahead of ART Grand Prix teammate Nikola Tsolov at the Hungaroring.

The Dutch driver was one of the first to record their final flying laps and his 1m 33.935 came at the perfect time. A crash in the final moments for championship challenger Luke Browning brought out the red flags and ended the session early before the majority could complete their last attempts.

READ MORE: Horner names the Red Bull junior ‘making a strong case’ for an F1 debut in 2025

Earlier on in the session, AIX Racing had enjoyed a 1-2-3 following the first runs, with Joshua Dufek leading teammates Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and Nikita Bedrin into the latter stages.

That was broken up by Van Amersfoort Racing’s Noel Leon, who took over at the top of the timing screens with just over half the session run.

Another title contender was in the mix, as Leonardo Fornaroli went provisionally fastest for Trident late on, but dropped behind the ART duo in the final minute to third.

León wound up fourth ahead of the Trident of Santiago Ramos in P5.

Sami Meguetounif was promoted to sixth in the third Trident, ahead of Tim Tramnitz for MP Motorsport in seventh. Christian Mansell was eighth in the ART Grand Prix, Callum Voisin ninth for Rodin Motorsport while Inthraphuvasak rounded out the top 10. Bedrin wound up 11th and PREMA Racing’s Dino Beganovic inherited 12th.

READ MORE: F3's Floersch and F1 ACADEMY's Chambers take part in F2 and F3 tests to improve accessibility for the future

Dufek, originally sixth, was disqualified from the results for a technical infringement while Browning lost his fastest lap for causing the Red Flag having ended the session in seventh.

For an in-depth report of the Formula 3 qualifying session in Budapest, head to the official website here.