Report
FORMULA 3: Hughes claims last-gasp F3 pole at Paul Ricard
Jake Hughes put in a spectacular final qualifying lap at France’s Circuit Paul Ricard to seal his first pole position of the FIA Formula 3 season.
Last round’s Race 2 winner Jehan Daruvala had dominated the entire session before British driver Hughes seared around the circuit to beat the Indian in every sector and steal P1. Championship leader Robert Shwartzman was forced to settle for third, as he failed to keep pace with the duo.
It was Daruvala who set the standards early on, topping the timesheets shortly after hitting the track, narrowly in-front of his Russian team mate Shwartzman. There were a number of failed attacks on his time, but Daruvala managed to maintain his grip on the P1 spot and even improve his time. Shwartzman, Lundgaard and Leonardo Pulcini all enjoyed spells in second, but failed to ever topple the PREMA man.
Then, in a dramatic final flurry, Daruvala passed the chequered flag with pole position apparently safe only for Hughes – who had spent the majority of the session in and around fifth place – to release his HWA RACELAB machine’s full potential and nab pole with a time of 1m 49.519s.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
News Wolff admits wanting to ‘punch himself on the nose’ after Mercedes double DNF on ‘brutal’ day in Australia
TechnicalF1 Unlocked TECH WEEKLY: How Ferrari, Aston Martin and Kick Sauber initiated the 2024 development race in Australia
News ‘It’s tough on the spirit’ – Hamilton brands 2024 the ‘worst start’ to an F1 season he's ever had
Feature 5 Winners and 5 Losers from Australia – Who left Melbourne on a high?