ROAD TO F1: Tsunoda leads Carlin one-two in Russia F2 qualifying, as Schumacher takes P3

Jehan Daruvala led nearly the entirety of Formula 2 qualifying, but it was his fellow Red Bull junior, and Carlin team mate, Yuki Tsunoda, who got the job done when it counted.

The Japanese driver snatched pole in the dying stages at Sochi, just 0.006s ahead of the Indian driver, as Carlin secured the first front-row lockout in F2 qualifying since UNI-Virtuosi did at Silverstone in July 2019.

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The Carlin duo looked untouchable around Sochi, taking first and second in the early stages, and they never relinquished the positions. Daruvala dominated the majority, going 0.2s faster than his team mate at the end of the first stint.

The Indian picked up from where he left off on the second run, slicing another tenth off his time, but Tsunoda had been shrewd with his tyres, saving enough rubber for a final run. The Japanese driver set a stunning final lap to beat his team mate’s time by six-thousandths of a second, with no time to spare on the clock.

Championship leader Mick Schumacher managed third place, directly ahead of his main title rival, Callum Ilott. Setting up a tantalising race start when action gets underway on Saturday at 1015 local time.

For more on F2, visit the official series website.