Hauger deprives Antonelli of his first pole position, Martins at the back of the pack

• We were almost there but we'll have to wait a little longer for Andrea Kimi Antonelli's (Prema) first pole position in F2. However, the Italian took first place in the ranking when the checkerboard appeared thanks to a lap in 1'29"038. The feat seemed to be underway but Dennis Hauger (MP Motorsport) took it upon himself to dampen the hopes of the protégé of Mercedes.
• With good momentum having dominated free practice earlier in the day, the Norwegian hit the nail on the head with a time of 1'28"694. By improving by 0“344, the old one in the fold Red Bull was the only one to ride under the 1'29 mark in Melbourne. A performance which allowed him to secure his first pole position in F2 for his third campaign in the category. Richard Verschoor (Trident), Kush Maini (Invicta) and championship leader Zane Maloney (Rodin Motorsport) completed the Top 5.
• For his part Isack Hadjar (Campos) placed himself as an outsider with a new qualification in the Top 10. Second during free practice, the Ile-de-France resident did not manage to improve during his last attempt but still retained a place in the provisional points. He finished 8th just behind his teammate Josep María Marti who was ahead of him for the first time this season in the exercise.
• Tenth at the end of the session, Roman Stanek (Trident) will have the honor of starting in pole position for the Sprint Race this Saturday (4:15 a.m. French time).

The back of the grid awaits Martins

• For Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix), the days pass and things do not improve. In the tough at the start of the season, the Habs planned to bounce back in Australia. It missed.
• If he wanted to be reassuring before the meeting, the protégé ofAlpine made a mistake in the first moments of these qualifications. Like Alex Albon a few hours earlier in F1, Victor Martins missed at turn 6. Although he managed to avoid contact with the walls, very close to the track, he did not prevent stalling after a double spin. A new blow for the Frenchman who is following them at the start of the year. He will start last in both races this weekend. On the last row, he will be accompanied by Jak Crawford (DAMS) whose qualifying was difficult, including an accident 4 minutes from the end, causing a red flag.

Double spin for Victor Martins at the start of qualifying #F2 😱

The French driver will start last in the 2 races of the #AustralianGP 😩 pic.twitter.com/W82g6Ake61

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) March 22, 2024

ALSO READ > If he does not yet feel pressure, Victor Martins knows that a presence in F1 will depend on the F2 title