EU 2.0: Series Estoril qualifying report

Lancaster and Pic continue good form

After dominating collective testing, Jon Lancaster and Charles Pic have now made their excellent form count in qualifying. The two SG Formula will share the front row of the Race 1 starting grid this afternoon. Tomorrow, Italian Champion Mikä Maki (Epsilon Red Bull) will start from pole, with Lancaster lining up beside him.

Tiago Petiz (Motopark Academy), one of the first drivers out on track, made an error on his very first lap, but was able to continue the session unhindered. Ten minutes or so elapsed before the stars of the category entered the fray.

Frank Kechele (Motopark Academy) and Pascal Kochem (Omicron Racing) were the quickest to hit their straps, but their times were more than a second slower than the best time from collective testing, which was clocked by Charles Pic (SG Formula).

Pic was the first to get close to the 1'37'' barrier, but Jon Lancaster was the first to break it! Behind the two SG Formula men, District Racing's Aleix Alcaraz and Mihai Marinescu were lying in ambush.

Before stopping off at the pits for a fresh set of tyres, Mihai Marinescu and Brendon Hartley (Epsilon Red Bull) clocked the second- and third-fastest times, pushing Pic down to fourth.

The yellow flags came out after Adrian Quaife-Hobbs (BVM Minardi Team) crashed off. With the help of the stewards, however, Adrian was able to continue.

The session's midway point saw the usual flurry of pitlane activity as the drivers stopped off to change their tyres. Marinescu improved his time on his first flying lap, but could not go quicker than Lancaster. The Englishman, too, bettered his time, putting himself out of reach of Mika Mäki, who took second place with six minutes to go.

The newly crowned Italian Champion was then pushed back down into third by Charles Pic, but he managed to hold off Brendon Hartley and Henki Waldschmidt (Prema Powerteam).

There were no changes to the order in the dying minutes. Jon Lancaster thus takes his second pole of the season, with Pic, Mäki, Hartley, Waldschmidt, Marinescu, Alguersuari and Marsoin completing the top eight on the grid for Race 1.

Mika Mäki, however, clocked the second-fastest time, giving the Finn his first pole in Eurocup for Race 2, where he will start ahead of Lancaster, Hartley, Waldschmidt, Marinescu, Marsoin, Coletti and Alguersuari.

-credit: wsbyrenault.com