Ayumu Iwasa makes history as first Formula 2 driver to secure pole at Albert Park

Ayumu Iwasa made history by securing pole position in a chaotic Formula 2 qualifying session at Albert Park, battling unpredictable weather conditions and a crash-filled practice session.

Ayumu Iwasa made history as the inaugural Formula 2 driver to secure the pole position at Albert Park, as he skillfully navigated through unpredictable and constantly changing weather conditions.

At the commencement of the session, all drivers were on the track attempting to set initial times on a heavily soaked surface, anticipating the challenging conditions following a tumultuous practice session that experienced three red flag stoppages.

Just five minutes into the session, the first red flag was raised when Oliver Bearman crashed into the wall between turns 8 and 9, causing debris from his Prema car to scatter across the track. Jak Crawford’s Hitech also lost its front wing as a result of the collision.

Fortunately, Bearman managed to make it back to the pitlane for repairs, and despite the initial damage sustained by his car, he was able to continue with the session.

Australian driver and local favorite, Jack Doohan, was on the verge of posting the first competitive lap time of the session when the red flag halted his progress just a corner away from completing the lap.

Once the session resumed, Doohan was the first to venture out of the pits and managed to set a representative lap time, which was subsequently surpassed by Frederik Vesti.

The dynamic and evolving conditions resulted in several drivers vying for the top spot, with the fastest lap time constantly being contested.

After the first set of runs, Jeddah polesitter Victor Martins emerged as the provisional pole sitter, clocking a time of 1:14.736.

Unfortunately, Martins’ stint at the top was short-lived as he collided with the wall between turns 5 and 6, prompting another red flag with less than three minutes remaining on the clock.

As the track continued to evolve, lap times began to improve on fresh wet weather tyres. Ultimately, it was Ayumu Iwasa who claimed pole position, making history as the first Formula 2 driver to achieve this feat at Albert Park, and earning two championship points in the process.

Theo Pourchaire secured second place on the grid, finishing 0.614 seconds behind the pole-sitter. Victor Martins completed the top three for Sunday’s Feature Race.

Isack Hadjar managed to hold off Zane Maloney and Oliver Bearman to claim fourth place, while the top 10 was rounded out by Arthur Leclerc, Kush Maini, Jak Crawford, and finally, Dennis Hauger, who is slated to begin from the reverse grid pole position for tomorrow’s Sprint Race.

The 23-lap Sprint Race will commence at 14:20 local time, with the Feature Race scheduled for Sunday at 11:35 local time.

Results of the qualifying session.

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