Frederik Vesti tops interrupted Formula 2 qualifying in Monaco

Frederik Vesti will line up on pole for the Formula 2 feature race in Monaco after an interrupted qualifying session.

Frederik Vesti celebrates pole position in Monaco. (Formula Motorsport Limited)

Victor Martins set the benchmark in the first qualifying group before the first stoppage when Arthur Leclerc crashed out. Martins was quickest again when running resumed, in a duel with fellow Alpine junior Jack Doohan who was left fuming when he hit traffic at the end of his final push lap.

Martins had set the time to beat and it was Théo Pourchaire who emerged as the quickest in the early stages, before Vesti put his PREMA on top.

Clément Novalak hit the barrier at Portier and it was enough to end the session under the red flag, with Vesti in pole position ahead of Martins.

“Extremely happy, the lap was obviously good,” said Vesti.

“I was trying to push as hard as I could while still managing the pressure and not making mistakes because around Monaco you cannot go all out for every single corner. You need to put the lap together and have a clean qualifying to be fast. Obviously, it requires also a lot of pushing and risk-taking but we managed to get the pole and it means everything to me.”

“If you ask me before the season if I wanted one pole, I would definitely choose Monaco. I am really happy to take this one and it shows the improvement I'm making and the direction it's going. Very happy to make this step and we'll keep pushing.”

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