Gabriele Mini sets a stunning pole lap on the streets of Monaco landing him 0.6 clear of his rivals

The timing sheets came alive as Hitech GP driver Gabrieli Mini set the fastest lap of qualifying at the principality with a scintillating 1.23.278 lap landing him 0.612 ahead of the field. The Italian driver is fourth in the championship standings and after Monaco qualifying he now has two extra points to add to his total.

For Formula 3’s return to Monaco for the first time since 2005, we have two different groups for qualifying. Brought in some years ago after the chaotic 2011 GP2 qualifying which saw multiple laps blocked and a large number of incidents and red flags.

As tradition with Monaco drivers went about finding their rhythm, building themselves up for their final ‘do or die’ lap at the end of the session where the track evolution is at its peak. Mini in group two, left it late and produced a stunning lap with a sector two, 0.4 quicker than anyone else. His commitment later through the lap at the swimming pool chicanes and the final two corners of La Rascasse and Anthony Noghes were mesmerising, to say the least and one which his Alpine Academy bosses will take note of a performance like this one.

Group A produced quite the battle for top spot which changed hands a lot as the session went on, The Hitech GP cars were on fire in both sessions of qualifying carrying on from their good pace shown in practice with Mini’s teammates Luke Browning and Sebastian Montoya also flirting with the top of the time-sheets. Dino Beganovic, the other driver who was in the mix in group one in his Prema, was swapping times at the front which continued throughout the session until the final laps. Begnovic went to the top of the session on his final run setting a great time of 1.23.880, Unfortunately for Browning he made a small mistake on his final run so he didn’t improve and was only 0.03 off Beganovic’s lap time, agonising for the British driver.

Sebastian Montoya was also enjoying a great session in his Hitech and was in the fight for pole, saving it for the final lap he pushed a touch too hard at the end of sector two and found the barrier at Tabac and stopped further down at the second swimming pool chicane, hindering anyone else improving behind him. He finished group a in P3, 0.242 off Beganovic in the Prema who will start alongside Mini on the front row for the feature race on Sunday.

A lot of drivers also struggled with braking out of the tunnel into the Nouvelle Chicane turn 10. Further struggles into the final corner Anthony Noghes with people clipping the outside barrier hard throughout qualifying.

But it was Mini’s day on the streets of Monte Carlo as he celebrates his first pole in his FIA Formula 3 career. Let's see if he can add to that and make it his first win in Formula 3 and if the sprint and feature race with a field of thirty cars delivers the typical Formula 3 action and drama on this glamorous Monaco weekend.