Billy Monger stole the show during a dramatic BRDC British F3 Championship qualifying at Donington Park. It’s the Carlin drivers first pole of the year, as championship leader Linus Lundqvist qualified outside of the top ten.
The result from Monger was a stunning display, as it was is first competitive return to the circuit in which he was hospitalised due to a British F4 crash last year.
A delay to the start of the session due to gravel on track was made worse as Ben Hurst ran off at the chicane, beaching his Hillspeed car in the run-off area and bringing out the red flags.
Prior to the red flag, Jamie Chadwick had been the driver to beat. With the times soon dropping, it would not be a position she’d keep long. As it turned out, over a dozen drivers took their turn at the top with Nicolai Kjaergaard and Monger soon becoming regulars as the laps counted down.
A stunning lap from Monger in the closing two minutes pushed him above his Danish teammate, with Ayrton Simmons in third on his return to the series. The surprise of the session proved to be Josuf Owega, qualifying a personal best fourth place.
Manuel Maldonado would be the best of the Fortec Motorsports cars in fifth, ahead of the third Carlin of Jamie Caroline. Having been on top in the early stages, Kush Maini will be disappointed by seventh as Krishnaraaj Mahadik rounded out the top eight.
Lundqvist had struggled on Thursday and it didn’t appear to get better, spending much of the session outside of the top ten. He could only qualify fourteenth.
