Pole position for Jehan Daruvala at Monza FIA Formula 3 European Championship

The Carlin team dominated proceedings in first qualifying of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship on April 28, 2017 at the 5.793 kilometres long Grand Prix circuit of Monza in Italy with India’s rookie  18 years old Jehan Daruvala (Carlin, 1m44.105s), a protégé of the Force India Formula 1 team, securing his maiden FIA Formula 3 European Championship pole position ahead of his team-mate, McLaren junior driver Lando Norris (Carlin, 1m44.135s) and Jake Dennis (Carlin, 1m44.202s).

Behind Callum Ilott (Prema Powerteam, 1m44.370s), Ferdinand Habsburg (Carlin, 1m44.552s) followed as the fourth Carlin driver in fifth place. Joel Eriksson (Motopark, 1m44.554s), who came to Italy as the leader in the drivers’ standings, was classified sixth in the first qualifying of the Monza weekend. 

At the Italian circuit near Milan, the youngsters from the FIA Formula 3 European Championship staged a thrilling qualifying. Just before the end of the session, Callum Ilott was on top, but the British driver of the Italian Prema Powerteam wasn’t able to hold on to this position until the end. In the final moment, two rookie drivers moved up ahead of the stalwart. Ilott is one of three drivers who already were present when the FIA Formula 3 European Championship last raced at Monza in 2015. On his final flying lap, Jehan Daruvala was 0.030 seconds faster than Lando Norris, which made the Indian secure his maiden Formula 3 pole position.

The top six drivers from the grid of 19 were covered by just half a second in qualifying, showcasing the competitiveness of the series. It was a good day out for Carlin Motorsport as a whole, claiming positions 1-2-3-5 on the grid.

Elated having taken his first pole position in Formula 3, Jehan said “It is an amazing feeling to be on pole in only my second weekend in F3. The team has given me a fantastic car and I am glad that we could pull this off together”. The weekend will feature three races in total – with race one scheduled on April 29 with a further two races scheduled on Sunday April 30, 2017.