FORMULA 2
 Richard Verschoor (pictured) on the streets of Monte Carlo. Credit: Joe Portlock via Getty Images Trident's Richard Verschoor topped the grouped F2 qualifying session around the streets of Monaco on Friday. Verschoor topped the Group A, and his fastest time was quicker than Group B's top driver who was ART Grand Prix's Victor Martins. Martins will hold second position while Isack Hadjar is third in the classification and Paul Aron fourth. Zane Maloney the championship leader coming into the event, is 14th in the classification which means he will be out of the top 10 for both races. How Qualifying unfolded in MonacoAfter the mess of GP2 qualifying in 2011, the feeder series qualifying has undergone significant changes, comparing to every other round of the season. In Monaco, the field is split into two even groups and these groups will aim to set the best laps they can in 16 minute sessions. The fastest driver out of both groups would get pole while the fastest driver in the other group would be on the front row. The fifth fastest driver would start 10th and therefore being given reverse grid pole for the sprint race to come on Saturday. The groups were split into odd and even numbered cars. This meant the groups looked as follows: Group A: Zak O'Sullivan (ART Grand Prix), Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Prema Racing), Ritomo Miyata (Rodin Motorsport), Juan Manuel Correa (DAMS Lucas Oil), Gabriel Bortoleto (Invicta Racing), Franco Colapinto (MP Motorsport), Enzo Fittipaldi (Van Amersfoort Racing), Amaury Cordeel (Hitech Pulse-Eight), Isack Hadjar (Campos Racing), Richard Verschoor (Trident) & Joshua Durksen (AIX Racing). Group B: Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix), Oliver Bearman (Prema Racing), Zane Maloney (Rodin Motorsport), Jak Crawford (DAMS Lucas Oil), Kush Maini (Invicta Racing), Dennis Hauger (MP Motorsport), Rafael Villagomez (Van Amersfoort Racing), Paul Aron (Hitech Pulse-Eight), Josep Maria Marti (Campos Racing), Roman Stanek (Trident), Taylor Barnard (AIX Racing). Group AThe green light would come on at the end of the pit lane with the drivers in Group A and the even numbered cars headed out in their personal hunts for pole position. On the first main representative lap times, Zak O'Sullivan would have great pace. He went fastest by half a second ahead of Isack Hadjar, who was second. O'Sullivan's ART teammate Victor Martins topped the practice session on Thursday. On the second runs Gabriel Bortoleto went fastest but then would be beaten by three drivers. Richard Verschoor would slot into first place before being beaten by O'Sullivan. Hadjar would slot into third. A scary moment in the tunnel as Hadjar narrowly missed the slow moving Rodin Motorsport of Ritomo mIyata. It was perilously close to a huge accident, thankfully not. Also Juan Manuel Correa would get in the way of the Prema of Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The incident would be investigated after the session. Third runs and Bortoleto and Vershcoor would go top in that order, Zak O'Sullivan could only go third as Verschoor was top as Hadjar jumped ahead of Bortoleto into second. As the time came down and the chequered flag was out, no one could beat Verschoor's time. he would at least be on the front row. He topped group A ahead of Hadjar and Colapinto was third. Andrea Kimi Antonelli would end fourth and Gabriel Bortoleto was fifth. At the end of Group B running he might have been on reverse grid pole. Group BBut turning attention to Group B, the 11 remaining drivers with odd car numbers would head out. The drivers would set some installation times, which saw Maloney have the quickest time but there would be a delay soon after as the Van Amersfoort of Rafael Villagomez smacked into the wall at Saint-Devote to bring out a red flag. His car was stranded on the track. After a short delay, the drivers headed back out, once the green flag came out once again. In the first runs Victor Martins, topped free practice on Thursday, and went quickest in his group for ART. His time would not be beaten on the initial runs, as although Roman Stanek was fast but after a poor final sector was 0.261s down. Oliver Bearman of Prema put his first time on the board and went third quickest. Championship leader Zane Maloney would then beat Victor Martins' time to go quickest overall and take provisional top spot. He set a 1:21.941. It would however soon be beaten. Martins would beat it to re-claim top spot before he was knocked back down to second by the Trident of Stanek, who went quicker. There was still time to find to attempt to beat Verschoor's lap time of 1:21.283 to take pole. Stanek would be investigated after the session for an impeding incident with Dennis Hauger of MP Motorsport After a yellow flag out in part of his final lap and Maloney was made to back off his attempt at pole. On the final runs Martins went quickest overall. It was not quick enough to beat Verschoor's best lap but it was a provisional front row for the Alpine Academy driver. Aron was fast, very fast but he was unable to do it. He went second in the group which would put him on the second row. At the end of the session, Bearman would give the wall at the entry of Saint-Devote a good whack and damaged his front wing. Stanek also hit the wall on his last flying lap. However, Richard Verschoor, in the the classification, is first ahead of Group B's top man with Victor Martins second. In form Hadjar is third ahead of Aron who is fourth in the classification. Franco Colapinto is fifth ahead of Roman Stanek in sixth, who is under investigation. Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the only Prema in the top 10 in seventh, with Hauger eighth, despite the alleged impeding by Stanek. Gabriel Bortoleto will be ninth with AIX Racing's Taylor Barnard 10th. Barnard will start on the reverse grid pole for Saturday's sprint race. 2024 FIA Formula 2 Championship: Round 5 - Monaco qualifying provisional classification
 Brandon Whiteside
Writer - f1journal.co.uk
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