GP3: Kirchhofer claims pole at Silverstone

ART Grand Prix driver Marvin Kirchhofer took pole position for round three of the GP3 Series at Silverstone.

Kirchhofer, who set the initial pace on his opening run, was locked in an intense battle with several drivers for pole position. Emil Bernstorff was his closest challenger. He was the first man out after the majority of drivers pitted for fresh tires and immediately set the fastest time.

This was brief, though, as times began to fall thanks to the improving track conditions. After several changes at the top it was Kirchhofer who was able to take pole position in the closing stages with a blistering time of 1m47,040s, more than a tenth of a second faster than Bernstorff.

Campos Racing driver Alex Palou, who ran consistently in the top 10, secured third place ahead of Koiranen GP's Matt Parry and his teammate Jimmy Eriksson.

Points leader Luca Ghiotto could only manage sixth after setting the pace in free practice. He finished ahead of Adderly Fong, who didn't set a competitive time until the closing stages, and Esteban Ocon in eighth.

Carlin driver Mitch Gilbert finished the session ninth, followed by Arden's Kevin Ceccon who rounded out the top 10.

Ferrari protege Antonio Fuoco and Austria sprint-race winner Oscar Tunjo both struggled to set competitive times, with the latter not leaving the pits until the closing stages. They finished 15th and 21st, respectively.

QUALIFYING TIMES:

Originally on AUTOSPORT.com