In a surprising turn of events in Silverstone, Leonardo Fornaroli emerged as the star of the Qualifying session, securing his first pole position in Formula 3. The Italian driver delivered a competitive lap time of 1:45.520, setting a new benchmark for the rest of the grid as teammate Oliver Goethe claimed second.
The battle for the pole was fierce, with several drivers aiming to dethrone Fornaroli from the top spot. Trident proved a force to be reckoned with as teammate Oliver Goethe claimed second with just 0.126 behind, which showed the potential for a successful weekend ahead.
Juan Maria Marti led a strong charge for the Campos team, securing the third position on the grid, followed closely by his teammate Christian Mansell in fourth, his best performance so far. Championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto claimed fifth for MP Motorsport as PREMA Racing’s Paul Aron and Hitech’s Gabriel Mini finish sixth and seventh, respectively.
Moreover, Luke Browning, Franco Colapinto, and Taylor Barnard completed the top ten, rounding out a competitive field for Sunday’s Feature Race. The drivers showed impressive pace and determination, highlighting the intensity of the championship.
The battle to first
As the chequered flag fell, the session’s final minutes saw some last-ditch efforts from the drivers. Taylor Barnard secured an impressive sixth position, while Caio Collet suffered the consequences of exceeding track limits. Aron’s improvement moved him to second place, but he remained over two-tenths adrift of Fornaroli’s lap time.
The session also revealed the strength of Hitech, with Mini leaping to second place and Browning securing third. With 10 minutes remaining, the rest of the field flooded out of the pits, eager to make the most of their final attempts on the hard rubber tires. Goethe improved his position to fourth, demonstrating the competitiveness of the Trident team. Mansell climbed up to fifth, solidifying his place among the front-runners.
Ultimately, Fornaroli’s gamble on running in the gap paid off, as he shot up into provisional pole position, posting a time of 1:45.717. His impressive lap put him over four-tenths clear of Aron, securing his well-deserved first pole position in the championship.
The qualifying session set the grid for Sunday’s highly anticipated Feature Race. Meanwhile, the excitement continued as Edgar, starting from the reverse grid pole, prepared to get his first home race of the weekend underway. The British driver carried the hopes of the local fans, eager to witness his performance on home soil on Saturday’s Sprint Race, which will take place at 9:20 local time.
