FRMET – Losail: Nakamura-Berta takes double pole position and puts pressure on Al-Dhaheri

To overtake the championship leader, Kean Nakamura-Berta needs to score 25 more points than Rashid Al Dhaheri this weekend. Undeniably ahead of the rest of the grid since the start of this (short) winter season, the two young drivers did not share the same fortunes in qualifying on Friday. Having secured pole position for races 1 and 2, Kean Nakamura-Berta achieved a perfect run, setting two fastest times of 1:48.461 and 1:48.057.

In both sessions, the Japanese driver finished ahead of Americans Alex Powell and Sebastian Wheldon, who qualified second and third respectively this afternoon. Starting fifth in Race 1, Rashid Al Dhaheri will need to secure points to avoid losing the championship on Friday. Indeed, the Junior Mercedes Benz He will also start ninth in Race 2, forcing him to take no risks while controlling the gap to his championship rival. Should Kean Nakamura-Berta achieve a double victory, the Emirati driver will need to mount a comeback to avoid being caught out.

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As for the French drivers on the grid, Andrea Dupé and Jules Roussel weren't as fast as they were in the previous day's Free Practice – where they had set the first and third fastest times. 16th and 17th in Race 1, the two G4 Racing drivers qualified 12th and 17th for Race 2. While Andrea Dupé remains the better positioned of the two to get back into the points, it seems that there could be plenty of drama in the race, given the number of yellow and red flags waved since the start of the week.

The first of the two races will be available to watch from 12:15 (French time), while the second will begin shortly after 15:45.

FRMET (Regional Middle East Formula) – Losail
The Q1 ranking

The Q2 ranking