Artem Markelov took his first Formula 2 pole position for the final round of the season in Abu Dhabi after dominating the session.
Markelov posted a 1m47.719s to top the timesheet by nearly half a second following the first runs.
Significant track evolution prompted widespread improvements by drivers in the final moments of the session. But by improving to a 1m47.181s, Markelov managed to retain top spot and secure his first F2 pole position.
With Markelov taking pole and earning four points as a result, Russian Time has drawn level on points with DAMS in second place in the team’s championship. Both teams are now just two points adrift of Prema who currently leads the championship fight.
Lining up alongside Markelov for the feature race will be Nyck de Vries. The Dutchman significantly improved on his second run, climbing from sixth to second.
Key protagonists in the team’s championship battle, Antonio Fuoco and Oliver Rowland finished third and fourth from Prema and DAMS respectively.
Crucially, their team-mates struggled. Newly-crowned F2 champion Charles Leclerc was fastest in sector one on his final effort but suffered a severe lack of grip in the final sector. He could only manage sixth on the grid. DAMS’ Nicholas Latifi will start outside the points paying positions in 12th.
DAMS joined ART as the only two teams to run in the gap. Nobuharu Matsushita and Alexander Albon finished eighth and 10th respectively. Albon was the only driver who managed to improve on his second timed lap during the same run.
Alex Palou and Lando Norris defied their inexperience in F2 machinery by finishing 11th and 14th for Campos. Palou was as high as fourth after the first runs. Norris, who is in his first weekend at F2 level, was 1.2s adrift of pole position.
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