GP2: Alex Lynn on pole for Russian GP
Friday may have been turbulent for F1 drivers GP2 practice session passed without any serious incidents. However, for the qualifying session, GP2 drivers had to switch tyres due to heavy rains which left the track wet. The session started at 16:00 local time, with a brief contact between Dean Stoneman and Sean Gelael which forced both drivers to the pits for body repairs. Drivers immediately started battling for the first place on the track, the only one that’s good under rainy conditions.
Alexander Rossi was on top with 2:06.053 with Marciello just behind, but Andre Negrao went to the top with 2:05.946, 0.107 in front of Rossi. The next increase in pace saw Rafaelle Marciello on the provisional pole with 2:04.842 with Johnny Cecotto on second and Vandoorne on third. A series of lockups denied Alexander Rossi of achieving better times, but not Pierre Gasly, who set the fastest time of 2:03.914, displacing Lynn and Vandoorne.
Halfway into the 30-minute long session, Alexander Rossi briefly made it to the top but was displaced by Arthur Pic with 2:03.563 and Jordan King with 2:03.658. Stoffel Vandoorne finally made it to the top with a bit more than 14 minutes to go, by scoring 2:03.432 and soon improved to 2:03.285.
The tempo went up as the track was drying up and Richie Stanaway went to provisional pole with 2:02.998. Alex Lynn was the next to post the fastest time, but was almost immediately topped by Pierre Gasly with 2:02.385. Arthur Pic got very close to Gasly, but Rossi topped them both despite an error and made it to the top with 2:02.141. That time was however soon topped by Lynn with 2:01.840, just 0.038s faster than Vandoorne who briefly held the pole. Vandoorne tried to cross the line just before the time was up and take advantage of an empty track, but didn’t succeed and got no chance to set the pole.
