WHARTON CLAIMS REVERSE-GRID POLE FOR SPRINT RACE IN MADRID FOR PREMA

MEDIA RELEASE/PREMA Formula 3- Photos: supplied

PREMA Racing enjoyed an encouraging qualifying day in Madrid, with Alex Powell the standout performer across both sessions: a tenth in Qualifying 1 backed up by twelfth in Qualifying 2, while James Wharton’s twelfth in Qualifying 1 was enough to hand him reverse-grid pole for tomorrow’s Sprint Race. José Garfias’s was P23 in Qualifying 1 and P21 in Qualifying 2, as he continued to push and find important incremental improvements throughout the day, going just over a second quicker than Q1 in Q2.

Madrid’s season-finale format saw two Qualifying sessions held back-to-back on Friday, each setting the grid for a separate Feature Race, with the top twelve from Qualifying 1 reversed to form the Sprint Race grid. The entire F3 field put on a good display throughout Friday at the new circuit, making for clean, closely-fought sessions that were exciting to watch across both free practice and qualifying.

For PREMA, Wharton’s twelfth in Qualifying 1 was enough to hand him reverse-grid pole for the Sprint Race, and he will start Feature Race 1 from twelfth.

Powell had a strong Qualifying, finishing tenth in Qualifying 1 and putting him on the second row for the Sprint Race. In Qualifying 2, Powell classified twelfth and Wharton eighteenth, setting their respective starting positions for Feature Race 2. Garfias will start both Feature Races from his qualifying positions of twenty-third and twenty-first.

#21 – JAMES WHARTON 

“Yeah, overall quite happy to be able to be starting on the front row for the Sprint.

“It was still quite a tough qualifying and we didn’t quite have the pace, so just need to do a good job tomorrow from the front and maximise the opportunity that we have.”

Qualifying 1 lap time:  1:51.130
Qualifying 2 lap time: 1:50.441

Qualifying 1 position: P12
Qualifying 2 position P18

Sprint race grid position: P1
Feature Race 1 grid position : P12
Feature Race 2 grid position : P18

#20 – ALEX POWELL

“Overall a really positive two quali sessions today in Madrid, a really good step forward from where we were in free practice and even from the last round in Monza.

“I was really happy with the job we’ve done as a team and a really strong starting point for the weekend, so looking forward to the three races ahead and thanks again for the team for all their hard work.”

Qualifying 1 lap time: 1:50.983
Qualifying 2 lap time: 1:50.133

Qualifying 1 position: P10
Qualifying 2 position P12

Sprint race grid position: P3
Feature Race 1 grid position : P10
Feature Race 1 grid position : P12

#22 – JOSE GARFIAS

“We had two sessions today, and results wise it was very similar in both of them. We just lack the pace to be any higher.

“I pushed a lot, I risked everything and put everything on that lap, but it was still not enough. I’m quite happy on my side with the job I did in the driving and I think I maximised the driving but it’s still nowhere near enough and where we want to be.”

Qualifying 1 lap time: 1:51.770
Qualifying 2 lap time: 1:50.750

Qualifying 1 position: P23
Qualifying 1 position: P21

Sprint race grid position: P23
Feature Race 1 grid position : P23
Feature Race 2 grid position : P21

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