Vitaly Petrov took pole position in Sentul this morning in the second round of the 2008 GP2 Asia Series. The first round in Dubai had not been easy on the Barwa International Campos Team with Petrov suffering from a gearbox problem in qualifying that saw him start from the back of the grid.

This afternoon, things will be reversed for Petrov in Race 1 as he will start from pole position. He set the fastest time of the day in a 1:19.337 at the beginning of the session in wet conditions, but before a red flag and a further shower.

“I’m delighted with this result,” the Russian racer said. “The team made a good decision regarding the set-up and the tyres. The race will be very hard with the weather changing every twenty minutes or so. We may see more than one pit-stop per driver this afternoon! If it stays dry, it will be easier.”

Qi-Mertus Mahara driver, the experienced Luca Filippi, will also start from the front row after setting his fastest laptime in the rain.

“I’m very pleased with this result because we’re in Indonesia and I’m driving for a Malaysian team,” he said. “Therefore, it was important for us to get a good result here. I was quickest in the rain. Petrov did a great lap with slick tyres at the best time of the session while I was in the pit. After that, I pushed a lot. It’s a great result, but of course, I would have preferred starting from pole. Now, I have to make a good start and manage a gap with the drivers behind.”

Spaniard Adrian Valles, who had been quickest in free practice, completes the Top 3 while ART Romain Grosjean had a somewhat difficult qualifying session: going off the track mid-session, leading to the red flag. Despite this, he will start from the second row.

Marcello Puglisi (Piquet Sports) did not participate following a gearbox problem. He will take part of the race. Meanwhile, Fairuz Fauzy (Super Nova Racing) and Stephen Jelley (ART Grand Prix) – will lose five places penalty on the grid for crossing the finish line more than once after the chequered flag.

Race 1 will start at 3:30pm, local time.