Formula 2 qualifying at Autodromo Nazionale Monza was yet again dominated by the hunt for a slipstream as drivers tripped over themselves trying to take advantage of it. Afterwards, the top three in qualifying – Théo Pourchaire, Ollie Bearman and Roman Staněk – spoke to Feeder Series and selected media about the messy session.

By George Brabner

Polesitter Pourchaire and second-placed Bearman didn’t improve their lap times at the end of qualifying, nor did they need to. For the second weekend in a row, the best lap time set in the early stages of qualifying remained unbeaten come the session’s end.

In the scramble for optimal track position at the session’s twilight, five drivers failed to cross the line in time to start a final flying lap, and only a handful were able to improve their times.

Pourchaire’s and Bearman’s fastest laps set earlier in the session, a 1:32.328 and a 1:32.487 respectively, therefore remained unbeaten as the chequered flag fell.

Slipstream gamesmanship has become synonymous with qualifying at Monza, but Pourchaire said he believed few solutions could stop such tactics, which could easily lead to serious accidents.

“The last lap, it was a bit dangerous. Some drivers were going full throttle in the straight; other ones, they were driving really slow,” he said.

“I don’t know what we can do to improve. The drivers need to be more safe. We try to avoid the accidents, but it’s difficult to think about a solution.”

Bearman echoed the Frenchman’s comments.

“Before we went to start the final lap, there was ten of us within 100 metres, so it’s not great. But to be honest, I’m not sure what can be done about that,” he said. “I just drive the car.”

Focus on the slipstream

Despite the risks of jostling for position, Bearman said he and his fellow drivers had no choice but to play the same game amidst the hunt for improved lap times on an evolving track.

“For sure there was more in it, but with a session like this, I’m just happy to be up there because anything could have happened,” Bearman said.

“You can go without the slipstream, but it’s not going to improve your lap time. The first run, I was in a good position. For the second run, to improve, I needed a slipstream, and so does everyone else. We left it to the last moment. Everyone left it to the last moment, and I think it was inevitable.

“When we left the pits with two minutes to go, it was clear that not everyone would make it, and I started my lap half a second behind, so of course, I didn’t improve.”

Though he held provisional pole after setting a clean lap early in qualifying, championship leader Pourchaire also joined the slowing pack clustered at the Curva Alboreto.

Keen not to miss out on a potential improved lap time, he and ART Grand Prix teammate Victor Martins aimed to follow each other but target their teams’ championship rivals Prema Racing.

“I had the same approach run one and run two. My team wanted me to be behind my teammate Victor, and we wanted to be behind the Premas to have a good slipstream,” Pourchaire told Feeder Series.

“We tried to have a great position on track, but what happened after unfortunately was a big mess. But it can happen.”

Prema’s Bearman playfully responded, “I think we wanted to be behind the ARTs! But no, we saw F3 quali like 10 minutes before that every lap counts, so that was already quite clear to us.

“I’m happy that I managed to [set a fast lap] in the first run because the second run is not a guarantee for a number of reasons, and today it didn’t happen because of the traffic. I knew what I needed to change on my lap to improve it, but I didn’t even get to do it.”

Staněk manages late improvement

Meanwhile, Trident’s Roman Staněk took a surprise third place at the end of qualifying, one of only a few drivers to improve on their final runs.

In light of a difficult season and a risk of losing his seat because of budget constraints, the Czech driver said he was now under pressure to convert his qualifying positions to strong race results.

“The pressure is always on, especially in my position because … this year is not going very well for me,” Stanek told Feeder Series. “I think we have to deal with the pressure, and I’m sure Théo has much more pressure than me now leading the championship, but that’s the thing that makes me excited. Without pressure, there is no excitement.”

Ralph Boschung will start Saturday’s sprint race from pole position after finishing 10th in qualifying. The Swiss driver avoided the slipstreaming battle at the end of qualifying by being the first to leave pit lane for the final runs and laying down his best lap clear of the chasing pack.

Header photo credit: ART Grand Prix