Jenzer Motorsport’s Nico Müller has claimed his first GP3 pole position in a dramatic qualifying session this morning at the Hungaroring.
The Swiss driver continued from where he left off yesterday and posted his quickest time of 1:36.991 in the late stages of the session seconds before ART Grand Prix’s Esteban Gutierrez crossed the finish line matching the Swiss’ time exactly. When the chequered flag fell the top four drivers were within a mere four tenths of each other and the top 21 drivers were split by just one second in the tight session.
The thirty minute qualifications opened on a damp track after overnight rain, and the entire grid came straight out the pits when the lights turned green. Muller was first to set a quick time, but as the track dried the times quickly dropped and it was Tech 1 Racing’s Doru Sechelariu who set the initial pace along with Manor Racing’s Adrian Quaife-Hobbs and Carlin’s newcomer Antonio Felix Da Costa.
Series leader Gutierrez wasted no time in responding and by the half way point had posted the quickest time of the session. Dean Smith and again Sechelariu were both pushing hard and capitalised on their efforts by grabbing the top two spots, but it was short lived. Mexican Gutierrez obliterated the top time set by Smith by nearly half a second setting the bench mark for the rest of the field.
Now on new rubber and the track drying quickly in the rising temperatures, the field set about catching Gutierrez in the second half of the session. The final few minutes of the session were one of most thrilling in a qualifying session this year, and it was a shootout between Gutierrez, Muller, Smith, Status GP’s Robert Wickens and Tech 1 Racing’s Stefano Coletti who shot up the timesheets.
With just three minutes left in the session Muller went top by a massive half a second. Wickens immediately tried to respond but couldn’t match the Swiss driver’s pace, and then in the final dramatic seconds Gutierrez crossed the line matching the pole time exactly: unfortunately for the Mexican he misses out on the top spot and bonus points because he set the time second.
Coletti held on to his third place and Wickens had to settle for fourth. Smith posted the fifth quickest time of qualifying but will line-up sixth after receiving a post practice penalty for taking the chequered flag twice. Sechelariu had his best qualifying session of the season finishing in sixth. Status GP’s Daniel Morad, RSC Mucke Motorsport’s Tobias Hegewald, Felix Da Costa and Addax Team’s Mirko Bortolotti rounded out the top ten.
1. 25 N. MULLER Jenzer Motorsport 1:36.991 18
2 2 E. GUTIERREZ ART Grand Prix 1:36.991 17 0.000
3 27 S. COLETTI Tech 1 Racing 1:37.036 17 0.045
4 4 R. WICKENS Status Grand Prix 1:37.066 15 0.075
5 15 D. SMITH Carlin 1:37.320 14 0.329
6 26 D. SECHELARIU Tech 1 Racing 1:37.370 17 0.379
7 6 D. MORAD Status Grand Prix 1:37.454 16 0.463
8 12 T. HEGEWALD RSC Muecke Motorsport 1:37.456 14 0.465
9 16 A. FELIX DA COSTA Carlin 1:37.459 15 0.468
10 19 M. BORTOLOTTI Addax Team 1:37.525 13 0.534
11 17 F. GUIMARAES Addax Team 1:37.632 14 0.641
12 9 A. QUAIFE-HOBBS Manor Racing 1:37.639 16 0.648
13 1 A. ROSSI ART Grand Prix 1:37.690 16 0.699
14 24 M. BARBA Jenzer Motorsport 1:37.694 15 0.703
15 10 N. MELKER RSC Muecke Motorsport 1:37.733 17 0.742
16 11 R. VAN DER ZANDE RSC Muecke Motorsport 1:37.777 15 0.786
17 14 J. NEWGARDEN Carlin 1:37.785 15 0.794
18 23 P. VARHUAG Jenzer Motorsport 1:37.802 16 0.811
19 20 M. CHRISTENSEN MW Arden 1:37.869 17 0.878
20 29 R. MERHI Atech CRS GP 1:37.952 13 0.961
21 21 M. MONRAS MW Arden 1:37.982 15 0.991
22 18 P. SANCHEZ LOPEZ Addax Team 1:38.196 15 1.205
23 30 O. OAKES Atech CRS GP 1:38.342 14 1.351
24 7 A. TAMBAY Manor Racing 1:38.359 16 1.368
25 22 L. CORDEIRO MW Arden 1:38.375 15 1.384
26 3 P. NUNES ART Grand Prix 1:38.406 16 1.415
27 5 I. LUKASHEVICH Status Grand Prix 1:38.448 12 1.457
28 8 R. HARYANTO Manor Racing 1:38.909 11 1.918
29 31 V. GHIRELLI Atech CRS GP 1:39.041 15 2.050
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