Virtuosi Racing's Jack Doohan claimed his second FIA Formula 2 pole from just four rounds after a frantic final lap at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
After a less-than-ideal Round 3 in Imola, the Norfolk-based team needed a boost to help them bounce back in style and Doohan certainly delivered with an emphatic response!
Virtuosi's duo entered the session on different strategies. Marino Sato joined the majority of the field and clocked in an early lap time, while Doohan was one of a handful of drivers running in the gap, waiting for conditions on track to quieten down. Doohan’s first lap time of 1:29.147 put him straight up to P2, but the Australian racer had more in the bag.
An aggressive last-gasp lap, that saw Doohan use every inch of the final corners, delivered pole for the Virtuosi racer, as his time of 1:28.612 proved to be out of reach for the rest of the grid.
Running with the majority, Sato found his way up to P5 with a brilliant lap that was unfortunately deleted for breaching track limits. The Japanese racer was unable to put another lap together in the final minutes, and as the rest of the grid’s times rolled in, fell to P19 - a result far below the potential he displayed in the session.
Jack Doohan's incredible efforts add a further two points towards his and Virtuosi’s tally, while securing him the best seat in the house for Sunday's Feature Race.
Lights out for the FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race is at 17:40 local time (GMT +2) on Saturday, while the Feature Race will start at 11:35 (GMT +2) on the Sunday of the Spanish Grand Prix.
