Dino Beganovic roared to Formula 2 pole position at the Spanish GP, edging out Alex Dunne and Rafael Camara in the hectic qualifying session in Madrid.
The F2 drivers were ready to take on the challenge of the Madring in qualifying, after their sole practice session. The new venue had already seen Red Flags, crashes, and interrupted sessions during practice. But pressure was mounting as the fight for pole position loomed.
The Free Practice session saw championship leader Nikola Tsolov on top, with Nico Varrone and Rafael Villagomez close behind. With only 45 minutes to get familiar with the Madring, qualifying was set to be a battlefield.
First F2 qualifying at the Madring
Emmerson Fittipaldi was first out on track, and the rest of the pack continued to filter out of the pit lane. With 30 minutes on the clock, the drivers were eager to get out there early to make up for the interrupted practice session.
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak was the only driver not to take on qualifying after a terrible incident in practice left his car on fire.
As the 21 drivers finished their warm-up laps and set out for their flying laps, the yellow flags were soon displayed.
A big spin sent Kush Maini into the barriers and ended his session early. Already 23 minutes and 56 seconds into qualifying, the Red Flag was out. He lost the rear into Turn 16, spun out, and hit the wall, leaving damage on the track.
Simultaneously, Sebastian Montoya suffered a smaller spin, picking up some damage to his PREMA. Although the driver insisted he could make it back to the pit lane, the PREMA drove slightly sideways, and continuing seemed questionable.
Varrone posted the fastest time on the board with a lap time of 1:58.309 before the interruption. But as the drivers had barely begun their flying laps, the timings were likely to drop even more.
Session resumed before another red flag
As the session resumed, the drivers had to seize their chance to set a flying lap before another possible incident. With the unpredictability of F2 and the Madring, anything could happen.
Fittipaldi set an early benchmark of 1:47.679 before the times shrank. Alex Dunne put together a solid lap, but it was not enough for the top spot.
Dino Beganovic soared across the line with two purple sectors. A mistake that nearly cost him the car on the kerb cost him the final sector. While the DAMS driver looked immensely quick, Tsolov went even faster with a 1:46.328.
The green-lit track was short-lived as Nico Varrone hit the barriers at Turn 19 to bring out the Red Flags once again. Madrid made it crucial to get a clean lap in, as the repeated interruptions cost them significant time.
The interruption suited one driver well as Montoya and PREMA fixed the rear of his car, and he looked to have another chance to put in a solid lap. Unfortunately, his luck soon turned when he reported that he couldn’t drive the car and headed back to the pits.
As the track once again went green, Fittipaldi put himself in the top ten. Meanwhile, Dunne set two purple sectors and delivered a strong lap of 1:45.416.
Drama continued in Madrid
14 minutes remained on the clock as the top three were Dunne, followed by the two TRIDENTs, Laurens Van Hoepen and John Bennett.
Beganovic was quick to steal the middle purple sector and grab the top spot as teammate Roman Bilinski settled in behind him to snatch P2. Two tenths separated the DAMS teammates, as Beganovic had set a 1:45.182.
Over the last ten minutes, both DAMS drivers continued to roar through the field. Beganovic once again improved his time as he grabbed another two purple sectors and set a superb time of 1:44.578. The Swede put himself over eight tenths ahead of Dunne in second.
Closely behind, Gabriele Mini slotted into third with a strong lap from the Alpine junior.
Drama unfolded again as Bennett stormed around the Madring. The TRIDENT driver was unlucky as his quick pace ended with him being shunted into the barrier at Turn 11. The Briton lost the rear end before he spun out and hit the barriers on both sides of the track.
The third Red Flag of the session emerged, and he was forced to stop again.
Final efforts for pole
The pressure was on as the final minutes of qualifying trickled down.
Dunne, Martinius Stenshorne, and Mari Boya attempted to get strong laps in, but only Dunne completed the job.
Meanwhile, Fittipaldi jumped into second for a moment, until both Dunne and Beganovic finished their stunning laps. Beganovic stormed into the top spot once again, two tenths ahead of Dunne with a 1:44.331.
Dunne tried to take the top spot, but had to settle for P2 behind Beganovic. While Colton Herta looked to be on a strong lap, he found the wall as the session came to an end.
Beganovic delivered another stunning lap to take pole position with a lap time of 1:44.331 the first time around the Madring. The Swede looked unstoppable as he took his third pole position in F2, and the second this season. Dunne and Camara joined him in the top three.
READ MORE: Nikola Tsolov confident ahead of F2 Madrid weekend
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