Leclerc headlines triple top-8 PREMA effort with P5 at Monza
Arthur Leclerc was the leading PREMA driver in FIA Formula 3 qualifying at Monza as teams lined-up for the 2022 season finale at the Italian Temple of Speed. As always, Monza featured tense action and unpredictable circumstances, and ended up with the Monegasque Ferrari Driver Academy finishing in P5.
The session was interrupted by a crash at Parabolica, and with less than 10 minutes to go, the whole field went back on track for an action-packed shootout in heavy traffic.
Ollie Bearman also tried to maximize the situation and came out with sixth place, while Red Bull Junior Jak Crawford finished in eighth place. The American will start tomorrow's reverse-grid Race 1 from P5, two spots in front of British rookie Bearman and three ahead of Leclerc.
#4 - Arthur Leclerc
"It was a really tricky qualifying but in the end, we managed to be in the top-5 so I think it's a decent result despite the mess in the pits and outside. It was stressful to manage the traffic situation but I'm happy with the results. Obviously, I would have preferred pole, but we can do many things from here."
#5 - Jak Crawford
"It was a qualifying session with mixed feelings for me. The first run was not the best, the car was a rivalling one to begin with. For the second run, we made improvements and the speed was looking good. I was improving by quite a bit on the last lap when I had traffic at the end of the second sector. It was a shame we didn't get to complete that lap because I think it would have been good enough for top-5, but it is what it is, we're at Monza, and we can race.
#6 - Ollie Bearman
"Decent qualifying overall, top-6 is quite a good starting position for both races. Traffic was a bit of a mess especially when we got in the pitlane and I got my position lost. I was stuck behind slower cars, which compromised the second run. However, I think P6 and P7 for the races are quite good, let's see what we can do."