Iwasa tames the rain to take pole, 3 French people in the Top 5

End of series for ART Grand Prix. After the pole positions won by Theo Pourchaire in Bahrain and Victor Martins in Saudi Arabia, the French team lost for the first time of the year in qualifying. However, the two Tricolors were involved in the fight for pole position in Australia where they ultimately came across someone stronger than them.

And this pilot who is stronger than them is called Ayumu Iwasa. In a session marked by a start in the rain before its gradual disappearance, the DAMS driver held his own in the final minutes to dominate all of his comrades. However, it was not easy as the driving conditions changed over the minutes.

Our first Aussie qualifying… and it's set to be a wet one! 🌧️

Live timing 👉 https://t.co/qLgyAl7LUL#AusGP #F2 pic.twitter.com/KNTf0FMKTI

- Formula 2 (@ Formula2) March 31, 2023

Lap after lap, many drivers succeeded one another at the top of the provisional classification but the Japanese, member of the Red Bull Junior Team, made everyone agree with a time of 1'45"118. A mark which allowed him to take a little more than 6 tenths ahead of his closest pursuer Théo Pourchaire although the latter had experienced a very complicated start to the session being notably far from the mark before the last moments.

Pourchaire, Martins, Hadjar… The French respond

Having remained discreet for a long time, Théo Pourchaire finally came back to secure a good 2nd place ahead of his teammate Victor Martins. However, the outcome was not the same for the two men since the 2022 champion of F3 was the victim of a violent exit from the track in the sequence of turns 5 and 6, hitting the protective wall at high speed and causing a final red flag. If the pilot is fine, this is not the case for his car who will have to spend long hours in the hands of the ART Grand Prix mechanics. Behind the two partners of the French team, another Frenchman showed up. This is Isack Hadjar.

🚩RED FLAGS 🚩

Martins wallops the wall and the session is halted with just three minutes left on the clock 💥

He's out of the car and appears to be okay 👍#AusGP #F2 pic.twitter.com/q5CbbVTxh6

- Formula 2 (@ Formula2) March 31, 2023

Unhappy in qualifying since the start of the year, the Hitech GP driver got back on track in Australia where he posted his best performance of the year in the exercise. With this 4th place, the Ile-de-France native can dream of a first podium in the Main Race in F2 after being forced to come back during the first two rounds. Zane Maloney (Carlin) completed the Top 5.

Concerning pole position for the Sprint Race, this went to Dennis Hauger (MP Motorsport), 10th in qualifying ahead of championship leader Ralph Boschung (Campos).

ALSO READ > The (night) program for F2 and F3 at the Australian GP