Mini takes pole position at Bortoleto in Bahrain

Once again, the qualifications came down to nothing. In Bahrain, where the first round of the 2023 season takes place, everything came down to the final moments. Fastest man in free practice, Gabriel Bortoleto (Trident) was one of the contenders for pole position. And the least we can say is that the Brazilian didn't come far from winning it. It was without counting on Gabriele Mini (Hitech GP) who made a strong impression for his first in Formula 3.

A discreet time, the new member of the academy Alpine raised his voice at the end of the session where he made everyone agree. After an initial improvement by lighting all the sectors purple, Gabriele Mini delivered his fatal blow a few seconds from the checkerboard to gain the upper hand over the rest with a lap in 1'47″055. If Hitech GP believed in a double with Sebastián Montoya 2nd, the Colombian ultimately fell in the ranking, only reaching 15th place. 2nd position went to Gabriel Bortoleto who lost by 57 thousandths, confirming that the rookies will have to be taken seriously this year. Repeating and aspiring to the crown, Grégoire Saucy (ART Grand Prix) completed the Top 3 ahead of two other beginners, Oliver Goethe (Trident) and Hugh Barter (Campos).

GABRIELE MINI TAKES POLE!!!! 💪

A mega effort by the @AlpineF1Team Academy driver, snatching pole in his first-ever F3 qualifying session! 👏#BahrainGP #F3 @MiniGabriele pic.twitter.com/UzY81Ok0Kq

- Formula 3 (@ Formula3) March 3, 2023

Small disillusionment on Prema's side since you have to go down to 8th row to find trace of a car Italian. This is that of Dino Beganovic followed by his teammates Paul Aron and Zak O'Sullivan. Pole position for the Sprint Race went to Pepe Martí (Campos) due to the reverse grid.

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