P2 and P5 after qualifying lottery

Published on 21 June 2014 by Stefan Meens

In a frantic second qualifying session, Max Verstappen secured P2 and P5 on the starting grid for the second and third race at Spa-Francorchamps. With the threat of rain hovering over the Ardenne forest, the teams and drivers faced a daunting challenge to tame the iconic Belgian track.

As the pit lane opens for qualifying, all drivers are on slicks despite a light rain shower. After several minutes, the session is red flagged after Mitch Gilbert crashed his car at Eau Rouge. Meanwhile, the rain has intensified and after the session is restarted, Max hits the track on wet weather tyres for the remaining fifteen minutes. Every time Verstappen junior crosses the line, he tops the leader boards as the track is getting dryer and thus faster.

However, Max is one of the first to see the chequered flag for the end which means everyone who is still on a flying lap, has better track conditions. This results in Gustavo Menezes, Max' Van Amersfoort Racing team mate, to clinch pole position. Max has to settle for second, followed by Ocon in a session that is best described as a lottery.

The drivers' second fastest lap determines the starting grid ahead of the third race. Ocon, John Bryant-Meisner, Felix Serrales and Felipe Guimaraes claim the two front rows with Max sitting in P5.
Meanwhile, after qualifying, Van Amersfoort discovered that Max' rear wing was broken. Regardless, the 16-year-old Dutchman finished the session resulting in P2 and P5.

Max: “It's a shame that I couldn’t hang on the pole as I was fastest after every lap. However, my tyres were destroyed at the end so another lap probably wouldn’t have resulted in a faster lap. We'll see how it goes tomorrow because you just never know with the weather at Spa-Francorchamps.”

The full schedule for the FIA F3 European Championship round at Spa can be found here.
To follow Max you can make use of the official Euro F3 live timing and stream:
Live timing is available at: http://www.mstworld.com/timing/livetiming.htm?series=wtcc-support
Live stream (races only) available at: http://www.fiaf3europe.com/livestream.html

Furthermore, via Twitter and Facebook we will keep you updated throughout the weekend followed by a full report on Verstappen.nl at the end of the day’s action. 

FIA Formula 3 European Championship Round 5 – Spa-Francorchamps – Day 1, Friday June 20: 
Results free practice 1
Results free practice 2
Results qualifying 1 (grid race 1)
Results qualifying 2 (grid race 2)
Results qualifying 2 (grid race 3)