Zandvoort – Q1: Clerot takes pole position in the final moments

Until the final seconds, Freddie Slater (Prema) certainly thought he had achieved the most difficult part of this qualifying session before Clerot's final lap. The Briton had set a personal best time of 1:33.458, allowing him to secure provisional pole position. Indeed, with Group A having run in equally wet conditions, but on a less rubberized track, he had run nearly four seconds slower.

Finally, Pedro Clerot emerged, setting the pole position time of 1:33.443, just 15 seconds faster than his counterpart. The Brazilian thus allowed his team, Van Amersfoort Racing, to start from the front row on home soil at Circuit Zandvoort. Alongside him, Indian Akshay Bohra will also be at the front of the field in this first race of the weekend. He notably beat Enzo Deligny (R-ace GP), second in Group A, and also beaten by his predecessor on the final lap.

Giltaire close to the lead, the other French in retreat

As for the other French drivers on the grid, Zandvoort was less lenient. By just 19 thousandths of a second, Evan Giltaire (ART GP) only achieved the third fastest time in Group B, despite being nearly 0.800 ahead of his compatriot Taito Kato. The two French drivers will start this Saturday afternoon from the third and fourth rows. In Group A, Dorian Pin (Prema), Enzo Peugeot (RPM) and Édouard Borgna (G4 Racing) did not do better than 10th, 11th, and 12th. They will have to rely on a strong comeback in the race. The Italians also had an even more frustrating session, as Giovanni Maschio and Nikita Bedrin were unable to set a viable time. The former hit the wall, while the latter suffered a mechanical problem.

Indeed, the first of this weekend's two races will take place at the end of the day. At 17:45 p.m. (French time), Pedro Clerot and the other drivers will line up on the starting grid in conditions that are clearly similar to those of this morning. Consistency and regularity will be the keys to a good result, unlike many interruptions at Spa, where rain was already falling on the circuit last month.

FRECA – Zandvoort
Qualifications 1 – Ranking

group A

group B