F3: Albon takes double pole at Norisring

Lotus F1 junior Alexander Albon took a double pole position for races two and three of the Formula 3 European Championship weekend at Norisring.

In so doing, the London-born Thai put the French Signature team on top for the first time since it returned to F3 at the end of last season after a three-year absence.

Albon headed first-race pole winner Charles Leclerc in the odd-numbered group by a gargantuan – by Norisring standards – 0.196 seconds, thanks to a slipstream on the run out of the final corner, but his second-fastest time, which decided the grid for race three, was unassisted and he was able to beat Antonio Giovinazzi by 0.078s.

"In Q1 the car was there – I just needed to find that extra bit," said Albon. "For Q2 we made a few small changes and I'm really happy with how it went – really a big thanks to the team, as we were quick straight away and seemed to have the setup down."

Albon, Leclerc, Giovinazzi and Santino Ferrucci all emulated the example set by Jake Dennis in the earlier, even-numbered group by pitting for new rubber just after the halfway point of the session.

Carlin runner Giovinazzi was able to set a time just 0.003s off his earlier best to leapfrog the Van Amersfoort Racing car of Leclerc on second-best times. Meanwhile, Mucke Motorsport pair Ferrucci and Mikkel Jensen both demoted Felix Rosenqvist out of the top five in group (and top 10 on the grid) on the very last lap of the session, although Rosenqvist beat Jensen to fifth on second-best times.

Starting alongside Albon on the front row for both races is George Russell, who completed a sparkling day for rookies by pipping Dennis to quickest in group on both fastest and second-best times.

Albon's fellow Lotus F1 protege and Signature teammate Dorian Boccolacci held fastest time until the last lap, when Prema man Dennis and Russell – running in tandem – both demoted him.

What Russell made up in slipstream from Dennis he forfeited in the middle of the lap, with a wild slide at the chicane that he held magnificently to propel his Carlin machine to the top of the times by 0.019s. Russell, Dennis and Boccolacci took second, fourth and sixth respectively on the grid for races two and three, but there was a shuffle behind.

Spa aerial crash victim Gustavo Menezes – with his name stickered upside down on the cockpit side by his Carlin team – beat Brandon Maisano and first race front-row man Maximilian Gunther to fourth, with the order being Maisano, Gunther and Menezes for race three.

Originally on Autosport.com