Goethe Secures F2 Pole in Qatar, Fornaroli Faces Fuel Scrutiny

Oliver Goethe of MP Motorsport clinched pole position for the F2 feature race at the Lusail International Circuit, outpacing championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli by a mere 40 milliseconds. However, Fornaroli's session ended with his car stopping on track, potentially due to a power issue rather than running out of fuel, which could have implications for post-session checks.

Why it matters:

This qualifying session sets the stage for a critical F2 feature race in Qatar. Fornaroli's potential power unit issue adds a layer of uncertainty, especially for a championship leader. Meanwhile, Goethe's pole position could inject new energy into the title fight, highlighting the fierce competition just below Formula 1.

The Details:

• Oliver Goethe secured pole position with a lap time of 1:36.115, marking a strong performance for MP Motorsport.
• Leonardo Fornaroli (Invicta Racing), currently the championship leader, qualified second, just 0.040 seconds behind Goethe.
• Fornaroli's car came to a halt on the track after the session, initially suspected to be out of fuel, which would prevent a fuel sample for stewards. However, replays suggest it was more likely a power-related problem.
• Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix) will start third, with Roman Stanek (Invicta Racing) rounding out the second row in fourth.
• The top ten qualifiers also saw Alex Dunne (Rodin Motorsport) in fifth, Sebastian Montoya (Prema Racing) in sixth, Nikola Tsolov (Campos Racing) in seventh, and Rafael Villagomez (Van Amersfoort Racing) in eighth.
• Richard Verschoor and Joshua Durksen, who finished ninth and tenth respectively, will start the shorter sprint race from pole and second due to the reverse grid format.

What's next:

The F2 feature race promises intense battles, particularly between pole-sitter Goethe and championship leader Fornaroli, whose car's post-session issues will be closely monitored. The performance in both the sprint and feature races at Lusail will be crucial for drivers looking to gain momentum and valuable points in the F2 championship as the season progresses.