Bahrain MRF Challenge: Picariello takes pole in ultra-tight session
Belgian racer Alessio Picariello grabbed pole on his MRF Challenge debut at the Bahrain International Circuit, beating Nikita Troitskiy by just 0.044s.
Polesitter Alessio Picariello
MRF Racing
The 2013 ADAC Formel Masters champion was on the pace throughout the 30-minute session, as he fended off favourites Troitskiy and Pietro Fittipaldi.
But it wasn't a straightforward task, with the top four separated by a mere 0.080s. Tarun Reddy finished third and Tatiana Calderon fourth, the Colombian demoting Fittipaldi to fifth after she improved her time on the last lap.
The returning Sam Dejonghe did well to finish sixth with Sean Walkinshaw at seventh. Apart from an off by British driver Jessica Hawkins bringing out the red flag, the session was completed smoothly under the beamings lights at Sakhir.
The bottom part of the top 10 was completed by Matheus Leist in eighth, Harrison Newey ninth and Nerses Isaakyan 10th. In an ultra-competitive session, the top 11 drivers were separated by 0.838s.
Qualifying Results:
Pos.
| Driver | Time/Gap |
---|---|---|
1
|
Alessio Picariello
|
2m03.390s |
2
|
Nikita Troitskiy
|
0.044s |
3
|
Tarun Reddy
|
0.048s |
4
|
Tatiana Calderon
|
0.080s |
5
|
Pietro Fittipaldi
|
0.113s |
6
|
Sam Dejonghe
|
0.484s |
7
|
Sean Walkinshaw
|
0.648s |
8
|
Matheus Leist
|
0.714s |
9
|
Harrison Newey
|
0.755s
|
10
|
Nerses Isaakyan
|
0.783s
|
11
|
Max Fewtrell
|
0.838s |
12
|
Dylan Young
|
1.011s
|
13
|
Karthik Tharani
|
1.750s |
14
|
Arjun Narendran
|
1.986s |
15 |
Laura Tillet
|
2.239s |
16 |
Matt Draper
|
2.446s |
17 |
Christope Mariot
|
6.189s |
Jessica Hawkins
|
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments