Oscar Piastri was fastest in FIA Formula 2 qualifying at Monza and will start Sunday’s Feature Race from pole position.
The Australian, part of Alpine’s driver academy, had set the pace throughout most of the session to take an additional four points.
Piastri was fastest after the first runs by 0.207 seconds ahead of Ralph Boschung in P2, with Dan Ticktum and Red Bull Junior driver Liam Lawson next behind.
As predicted, the field bunched up each other during the out-laps and cool-down laps to avoid giving other drivers tows during their flying laps.
Piastri continued to improve by going 0.051 seconds faster than second-place Jehan Daruvala on his final effort. Alpine Academy pilot Guanyu Zhou qualified third in front of Lawson in fourth.
Felipe Drugovich was fifth and Boschung sixth, with Theo Pourchaire and Ticktum on the fourth row.
Juri Vips, another one of the young drivers from Red Bull’s junior pool, concluded qualifying ninth but will start on the front row for Sprint Race 1 alongside tenth-place David Beckmann, will be on reverse-grid pole in his maiden outing for Campos since switching from Charouz.
Piastri’s pole position for the Feature Race on Sunday increases his championship lead to nine points over Zhou before racing gets underway on Saturday morning for Race 1 at 08:50 track time.
